Behind every successful school is a group of dedicated volunteers who help make the magic happen. These tireless individuals ensure teachers and students feel cared for and every fundraiser is a rousing success. Of those volunteers, there are always a few who shine the brightest, and that is who we honor with our monthly Booster Volly Awards.
This month's shining star is Stephanie Czapka from James B. Eads Elementary School in Munster, Indiana. Let’s give a big round of applause to our November 2022 Volly winner! Woohoo!!
Stephanie has been a volunteer at James B. Eads for six years and on the board for five of them. She has two children at the school, but she has three kids in all (12, 10 and 7). They love spending time together at home and traveling. Last year, they went to Zion National Park and did lots of hiking!
Before Stephanie became a "Super-Volunteer-Mom," she was a kindergarten teacher. She knows first-hand all the hard work teachers put in, so as a volunteer, she strives to make their jobs easier. Stephanie "wants to support the staff because they work so hard for everyone."
As a PTO member, Stephanie has been the host of many community events and the leader of multiple projects. One of her favorite projects is the Community Reader’s Group. She helps the fourth and fifth grade Student Leadership Team create monthly "Life Line Trait" lessons for each grade.
But the project closest to her heart is the annual "Kindness Week" in February, which she started to teach students how to be good citizens. Stephanie enjoys watching the kids compete for kindness points by writing cards to their community with uplifting messages.
Stephanie’s commitment to improving the school prompted Nicole Albright to nominate her for a Volly Award.
"Stephanie was the PTO President for five years at our school,” Nicole shared.“She took a PTO that had low funds to one with a $70,000 budget by adding a Back to School BBQ, Halloween Dance, Book Fair, Holiday Shop and Spring Carnival. She built a membership base and managed to keep parents engaged through COVID-19. Her efforts paid off with a National Blue Ribbon School Award this year, in part due to the support system of parents and grant programs for teachers that our parent organization now supports."
Stephanie was very surprised to learn about her Volly Award during their school’s celebration for earning their National Blue Ribbon School Award.
"It is such an honor to be recognized for volunteering,” Stephanie said. “I don't do it for the recognition, but it is really nice to feel appreciated."
After the festivities, Stephanie watched her daughter be inducted into the Student Leadership Team for the second year in a row.
"It’s so fun seeing my daughter follow in my footsteps and want to be a leader too," she shared.
Thank you, Stephanie, for making James B. Eads Elementary a better, kinder place. We hope you feel honored today and every day of the year.