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Longtime PTO Council president to step down
(Stamford Advocate, The (Stamford, CT) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Apr. 27--NORWALK -- Veteran Parent Teacher Council Organization President D.J. Carey announced this week that she will step down at the end of the school year.
It is time for the umbrella parent group to have new energy and leadership, said Carey, who has been president of the PTO Council for five years.
"I've enjoyed serving on so many committees and really feeling like I gave my time back to the schools," Carey said yesterday. "I am walking away feeling very good about the Norwalk schools."
Carey has been a strong parent advocate for the district, her colleagues said. She was a member of committees that addressed racial balance, roof repairs and school nutrition, and she drew prominent speakers to PTO Council meetings, including Fran Rabinowitz, the state's associate commissioner of education.
"We really felt her leadership fostered better communication with various groups in Norwalk that are serving the children through the schools," said Sally Cordovano, the council's first vice president.
The council accepted nominations for next year's executive board at its meeting Monday night.
Cordovano and Lynn Massey, vice presidents of the council, were nominated as co-presidents for next year. Parents also nominated Mollie Medico, president of the Kendall Elementary School PTO, to be treasurer.
The group needs volunteers for first vice president and vice president of educational information, Cordovano said.
The council is still accepting other nominations for president and treasurer. Members are expected to vote on the nominees at their May 22 meeting.
Cordovano said she and Massey chose to run as co-presidents because they have had a strong working relationship on the council.
Cordovano, the mother of two middle school students and a high schooler in the Norwalk system, has been on the council's executive board for four years, serving as first vice president and recording secretary.
Massey, the mother of a middle school student and high school students, is the vice president for educational information, a post she has held for three years.
"We're putting our hats in together because we've worked closely for many years and thought it would be a good thing to do together," said Cordovano, who coordinates Norwalk Reads, a book distribution program. "We just felt we could be effective as a team."
Massey said she wants the council to lobby next year for a stronger nutrition curriculum and clearer traffic signs near schools.
"We want to keep the energy flowing and continue to work on making the PTO Council an even more vibrant organization," Massey said.
The nominees understand how to navigate the school system and lobby for parents, teachers and students, Carey said.
"I think they're going to move the PTO Council to a great direction, so I have no worries," she said. "It's in good hands."
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