CONGRATULATIONS Virginia PTA Volunteer of the Year & Local Unit of Excellence Awardees!

Virginia PTA is proud to announce awards for Volunteer of the Year and Local Unit of Excellence for the 2020-21 school year. Annually, Virginia PTA selects two Local Unit PTA members and one school PTA who have made a significant and positive impact on the school, its children and community.

Secondary School Volunteer of the Year Tarun Ravikumar, Academies of Loudoun Class of 2021 student and PTSA Vice President of Events. Tarun organized two major school events – Student Challenge and Pi Day. He also recruited and managed a team of student volunteers.

Using his extensive information technology skills, Tarun created websites for the events, including a virtual scavenger hunt to keep students engaged during a year of virtual learning during the pandemic. Despite a full senior year schedule, Tarun attended every PTA meeting and served as a voice for students. This fall, he will attend Georgia Institute of Technology and major in Computer Science.

Elementary School Volunteer of the Year Whitney Rosario, President of the Barron Elementary School PTA. Whitney promoted inclusive family and community engagement through a number of events – from a community-wide scavenger hunt to a community bookfair entitled PAWS to READ in partnership with the local SPCA.

During the pandemic, Whitney increased her volunteer time to ensure continuity and served as an information source for families navigating pandemic schooling. She also applied for a won a $6,000 cultural diversity grant for the PTA to ensure its events are inclusive and accessible to families of all backgrounds.

2021 Local Unit of Excellence Camelot Elementary PTA in the Northern Virginia District By working together with the community, they were able to support children and families at a critical time as well as touch so many lives. Camelot launched many initiatives, including:

PTA and school staff worked together to open a school food pantry for local families in need due to the rise in pandemic-related unemployment. They raised $1,400 and distributed nearly 1,500 pounds of food. To help families cope with the pandemic, the PTA hosted free, self-help seminars for parents and a weekly kids club to support youth social-emotional needs. The PTA hosted monthly meetings via Zoom to keep families and staff engaged. The group revamped its website to include a forum for parents to contact each other for resources, to find playgroups, and to arrange carpools and more. The team advocated for diversity and inclusion, including partnering with the school to buy $1,500 worth of cultural books for the classrooms.