By Danielle Ray, Senior Reporter
Thomas Prince School PTA President Erin Bonifacio and Vice President Karen Ackerman have kept busy throughout the pandemic organizing and carrying out fundraisers, holding PTA meetings via Zoom, sending out newsletters, and remaining active on social media.
“We were able to do a few distanced fundraisers,” Bonifacio said. “Raise Craze in the fall, cookbooks, fall and spring spirit wear, and a Scholastic book fair.”
They are planning a spring book fair and gearing up for the next PTA event, a Readathon that will run from April 26 through May 7.
Bonifacio said participation in the PTA events and fundraisers this school year has been lower than normal because of the pandemic.
“Given all the extra things families are dealing with it is to be expected,” she said. “We are keeping things simple this year to support the unexpected situations the pandemic has caused.”
The funds raised through the PTA events have been used for a variety of things.
“We have used funds to support teachers while working remote with the purchase of document cameras, and with the transition to hybrid and in-person we supplied water bottles and cleaning wipes to the classrooms,” Bonifacio said. “We have also supported virtual field trips for several grades and did two snack baskets for the teachers to support their efforts.”
Bonifacio said it is important to her and Ackerman to continue PTA efforts, even during a pandemic.
“We want to continue to support the teacher and staff at the school and provide extras for the students, so it seems as normal as possible,” Bonifacio said.