Broad View dominates 2004 excellence awards

For their volunteer efforts at Broad View Elementary the school’s PTA Board recently received numerous Excellence in Education awards.

The awards, presented by the community Excellence in Education Committee, are given to teachers, students and volunteers who improve the academic environment of a school. This year, Broad View received most of the awards.

The Broad View PTA board volunteers for many programs that wouldn’t exist without their support, explained Principal Joyce Swanson. The board includes Kim Page, Sharon Jensen, Colleen Hageman, Courtney Bontrager, Missy Peckenpaugh, Sue Waddingham, Rosanna Dolan-Umipig and Kathy Kaltenbach.

The board helped raise money for field trips that students may take throughout the year and money for new playground equipment.

They also volunteer for an after school enrichment program that exposes students to subjects they normally don’t see throughout the school day, Swanson said.

Fourth graders at Broad View are also seeing another benefit of the PTA’s efforts. The association donated bottled water for each fourth grader that took the WASL test this year.

“This is just a fantastic group of people that contribute immensely to the school,” Swanson said. “They don’t contribute to their own kids but everyone’s kids.”

The board received their Excellence in Education Award during Broad View Elementary School’s recent “Sock Hop.”

Even before the dance, the PTA members were busy setting up decorations in the school’s gym.

The award gives member some recognition for their behind-the-scenes work, said PTA board president Kim Page who also has two children attending Broad View.

The Excellence in Education Committee has given out 16 awards throughout the school year. Those awards went to various teachers, students, school officials and volunteers in Oak Harbor Schools.

Mike Waller, committee chairman, said the group looks for individuals or groups who go above and beyond in improving academics at a school.

Other winners this year include Brandy Ross, a fifth-grade teacher at Broad View Elementary and Angie Homola, a volunteer a Broad View Elementary.

Ross was given the award for her efforts to improve math instruction at the school while Homola worked with Oak Harbor officials during the installation of new playground equipment.

Excellence in Education has been giving awards since it was formed in 1991. The committee developed out of a series of community summits that were sponsored by the school district, the city and Puget Sound Energy, Waller said.

Excellence in Education awards has been presented more than 180 times in the past 13 years.

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