History

Parents On Campus - Our History!


1Parents On Campus initiated at Post Middle School in spring of the 2004-2005 school-year and has grown steadily over time with positive feedback coming from administrators, teachers, staff and parents.  Even a "student or two" has commented that they are glad to have us around!

A similar program has been implemented at Arlington High School.
 
The Herald
Friendly parental patrol
'Extra eyes' keep Arlington students in check
By Eric Stevick / Herald Writer - Feb 1, 2006
 
ARLINGTON - Three sets of eyes aren't enough to watch over nearly 900 middle school students scattered across a sprawling campus.

Alan Boatman, assistant principal at Post Middle School in Arlington, will attest to that.  That's why he is glad parents took the school up on an offer to help supervise the campus before and after school and during lunch periods.

Each day, volunteers in orange jerseys wander the cafeteria and high-traffic areas of campus, making small talk with seventh and eighth-graders with a goal of maintaining a safe and caring environment.

Boatman is convinced their presence has a calming effect - both on students and on parents who might be inclined to worry after the transition from elementary school.
 
The bottom line, Boatman said, is parents make a difference.  "It's those little, tiny things that go undetected that can lead to bigger problems later," Boatman said. "The whole focus is just having extra eyes. Their mere presence is a deterrent."

The Parents On Campus program started last spring, and Boatman credits parents for taking ownership through recruiting and scheduling.  "I know I didn't have enough time in my day to put something like this together and have it last," he said. It has to have a parent volunteer investment to it to have any lasting power."

Mixie Deeter has a seventh-grade son, John, at Post Middle School and has been a key organizer.  "This is one way to get people involved in school," she said. "It's a very, very good way to be at the school and to be in your child's school life without intruding on their independence."

Volunteers are encouraged to just be themselves and to choose the level of interaction that best suits them. They also get to meet their children's friends.

Parents Karen Murrin and Gina Olson are quick to join into conversations and enjoy getting the scoop on middle school society.  "We catch up on the latest," said Murrin, who has an eighth-grade daughter, Alisha, at Post. "It's a lot of fun."  Olson said her seventh-grade daughter, Hannah, has one condition, telling her, "Just don't ask a lot of questions, Mom."

Bronco Huge said his seventh-grade son, Ben, just goes about his business.  "He just likes being here," he said. "It's not a big deal, me being here."

Denise Cummings likes coming to school where her son, Connor, is a seventh-grader.  "I thought in middle school he wouldn't like hugs, but he does," she said.

Ally Barto, 14, an eighth-grader, doesn't mind parents on campus.  "At first, I thought it was really strange, and then I thought it was really cool that they were so concerned," she said. "It makes more kids be on their behavior and not be mean to other kids."

Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or [email protected]