Building strong family and school partnerships, which have been shown to improve student success and well-being, was a top priority for Draper Elementary’s PTA last school year.

“We wanted to increase our membership, have a bigger voice and have our new members become more involved in our school community,” said Timette Wankier, Draper Elementary PTA 2024-25 president. “We knew if we worked together, we could become a more collaborative and inclusive community.”

That commitment paid off.

Draper Elementary was honored with the National PTA School of Excellence award, presented Oct. 28 at a free community yoga night, which was part of the school’s Red Ribbon/healthy habits week.

Draper was one of six schools in Utah to receive the recognition. Alta View Elementary in Sandy also earned the two-year designation.

Much of the momentum continues this year, said Wankier, who now is serving as the school’s PTA secretary.

It began with a schoolwide parent survey to gather input. That feedback of family engagement and inclusivity helped guide the PTA’s focus and initiatives. 

Wankier credits last school year’s PTA Vice President of Membership Crystal Tatton with not only increasing membership by 39%, but also by helping new members understand their purpose and potential.

“She did a great job of letting them know what it meant to be a member and how they can be a voice for the children,” Wankier said. “She’s really the backbone of all we do.”

Many of the new members came from several neighborhoods which previously hadn’t been represented. The PTA board also took steps to ensure broader neighborhood representation in leadership roles.

With a larger, more diverse membership came greater parent engagement. Some volunteered time while others contributed ideas and community connections.

One example was during literacy week, which featured a sports theme. Thanks to new members’ contacts, the school welcomed guest appearances from Brigham Young University football and volleyball teams, local author Emily Inouye Huey, “Nitro Circus” athletes and others. They participated in reading with students, vocabulary and spelling games, speaking and other activities with students. 

“Because we had more members, we had more connections and gave our students more opportunities,” she said. “We had those relationships and then reached out to some others, including University of Utah athletics, and they all came to support our kids. It ended up getting our entire school and families involved.”

Fresh ideas also were shared for traditional PTA programs. For White Ribbon Week, which teaches digital safety, one new member suggested a hands-on activity using tickets.

“There were some great ideas we used, like giving each student a ticket and telling them it represented their personal information and not to give it away. But when someone went around saying to place their ticket into a drawing for possible Taylor Swift tickets, several of them put the tickets in,” she said.

At the end of lunch period, those who had kept their tickets were rewarded with an immediate recess. Those who gave them up missed four minutes of playtime to reinforce the lesson about safeguarding personal information.

“It drove the message home for many of them and it was a new PTA member who had suggested it,” Wankier said.

Last year’s board submitted its school survey results and action plan by the end of the school year and learned of the recognition this fall.

“It really shows how they improved their school and community and what they accomplished during the year,” said Ashley Backman, PTA region 7 support committee chair. 

This year, Draper Elementary’s PTA hosted a fun run, raising $27,000 to fund PTA activities as well as school shirts for every student and opportunities for field trips, STEAM activities and art awareness.  

The PTA leaders also are encouraging the state PTA’s monthly $500 teacher award nomination and are planning events for the year, including White Ribbon Week, Kindness Week, literacy week, STEAM night and grandparents’ lunch.