EBT K-8 Center Certified as National PTA School of Excellence
Parental Involvement makes a difference in the community.
By: María Alejandra Pulgar, @marialepulgar
NAHJ #37172/ SPJ #10009939
DORAL, FL – School year 2018-2019 was a very successful year for Doral schools, as the majority of them achieved an “A” grade, including Ronald W. Reagan/Doral Senior High School and Eugenia B. Thomas K-8 Center, which has been consistent in achieving the top marks every single year since its opening on school year 2001-2002.
Those eighteen years of continuous success have in common the active parental involvement that distinguishes the EBT K-8 community, a trait that was instrumental for achieving this year’s Florida PTA Membership Award and the National PTA School of Excellence Certification 2019-2021, which was also obtained by Dr. Rolando Espinosa K8 center in 2018.
To achieve those certifications, the EBT K-8 community surpassed the 1,000 members’ milestone and committed to adhere to the six standards of excellence for schools defined by the National PTA, which are: Welcoming All Families into the School Community; Communicating Effectively; Supporting Student Success; Speaking Up for Every Child; Sharing Power and Collaborating with Community.
The successful partnership between parents, teachers, students and community that exists at EBT K-8 has produced over the years brilliant students who have grown up to be top performers in high school, college and at work.
Generations of parents have volunteered countless hours to the school, especially the PTSA board team, who finds creative ways to develop activities to have parents come to the school and to obtain much-needed resources to complement those provided by the school district.
That is what makes EBT K-8 a beacon of excellence, which benefits the community by making the attendance boundaries one of the most valuable real state in the City of Doral, with flourishing, well-maintained communities and neighbors committed to keep high standards of quality of life in the area.
What makes a National PTA School of Excellence?
The School of Excellence is a program of the National PTA to recognize the efforts made by PTAs and schools to “enrich the educational experience and well-being of the students”.
As the “oldest and largest child advocacy association in America” the National PTA has more than 4 million members nationwide, committed to improve education, health, and safety of all children in the nation, impacting their wellbeing by getting involved on issues beyond school.
To comply with the excellence standards required to obtain the certification, the EBT K-8 Center PTSA focused on increasing their membership beyond 1000 members and worked with school staff and administration to organize events that required parental participation, and were aligned with the standards such as: holiday festivals, dances, pep rallies; participation at local events such as the Miami Marathon, and district and nationwide community outreach activities such as Take your Child to Workday, Career Day or Principal for a Day; and fundraisers like Holiday and Personality pictures, pizza sales, local restaurant nights and jean days.
Beyond any funds raised, which allowed the school to provide more resources for students, like the Accelerated Readers program, those activities create a sense of belonging between children, parents and the school that make them always put forth the maximum effort to continue reaching the best results.
This year at EBT K-8 the effort was fruitful on recognitions by national organizations and by empowering students reaching top marks on the standardized tests.