To the Editor:

I attended the Eden Park Elementary School Family Dance this past Friday night. It was a hoe-down themed cowboy party complete with sheriff badges, corn bales, and line dancing.

What a night kids laughing and running around, families dancing together, and teachers joking around with their students. Has anyone witnessed a child put down a cell phone for more than 10 minutes? I saw it happen that night!

All in all it was a great night to be a part of Eden Park community. I remember being a part of my school functions with my parents and how much fun they were. Social gatherings, math nights, and family dances are an integral part in a child s ability to socially function and connect with their peers. After school clubs add enrichment and unique environment for a student to learn what he/she can t in a classroom. And with all those activities and functions a great deal of work is needed for them to be planned, fundraised and executed.

Who does all this work? How do these events come about? I know as a kid I never understood the whos and hows I just had fun. As an adult I realize just how much work and sacrifice goes in on the part of not just the school s staff but the members of the PTP (Parent and Teachers as Partners).

The PTP for Eden Park is made up of six wonderful women (Kate, Sandra, Linda, Donna, Brenda, and Sarah) who worked tirelessly the past two years to create events that the families and teachers of Eden Park can enjoy. They volunteer their time to create an atmosphere of community unlike any other school I have been a part of. Their role is truly thankless. They enlist volunteers, attend meetings, field complaints, and gently let down every wide-eyes volunteer with a plan to raise money.

Without the PTP and the participation of the school s administration (Mrs. Sevigny, an involved and active principal) none of these events would have been possible. I appreciate all their hard work and dedication to the not only the students but to the community. Kudos to Kate, Sandra, Linda, Donna, Brenda, and Sarah to the end of an era the last yee-haw.

Meghan Mimnaugh

Cranston