Spotlight On the Board

Meet two of our newest PTA members – Shannon, our Fundraising Chair, and Kathryn, our Secretary. Find out what brought them to Village and why they love our school.

Meet Shannon, PTA Fundraising Chair and Parent of 3

Please tell us a little about yourself. What is your professional background? What are your interests?
I work full time at Stanford University as the Assistant Director of Facilities and Capital Planning within the School of Humanities and Sciences. In my role I wear many different hats, including management of our multi-million dollar budget, oversight of our office operations, management of cafes located within our school, space management and I represent our department and programs on large capital building projects. It’s a unique and interesting role that keeps me busy. When I am not working or hanging out with my family, I love to golf and relax at the spa with good friends.

Tell us a little bit about your family. What are some things you and your family like to do for fun?
We are a family of five. My hubby and I have been married for 18 years and we have a freshman in high school, a fifth grader at Village and a preschooler. We enjoy traveling, especially to Disney, and spending weekends at our home in Strawberry (up past Pinecrest). We also enjoy lazy days around the house where we stay in our PJ’s all day and do nothing!

How many years has your family been at Village School?
Four years, we transferred in at 2nd grade.

What originally attracted you to Village, and what keeps you excited about being here?
What attracted us to the Village was the small community feel, where all parents are working together to create a positive environment for the students. What keeps me excited is seeing how my child has grown and thrived in this environment and the lasting friendships not only our daughter, but also our family has developed.

What are some of your favorite and most rewarding moments on campus?
My favorite moments on campus are when I get to see the community come together for events. There is always a lot of laughter and fun. I also love yard duty at the playground and talking with the kids about their interests. Making those connections with the kids is super rewarding.

How does your Board job (and those who report to you) work to serve the school community?
As fundraising chair, my team is working to raise money to ensure our programs such as Centers, Art and Music can continue to be supported. Additionally we try to make our events, such as Halloween Carnival and the Silent Auction, fun events for the community to come together, open their checkbooks and support our amazing school.

Meet Kathryn, PTA Secretary and Parent of 2

Our family is local. My husband and I both grew up around Campbell, have never had the desire to leave and have been fortunate enough not to have been pushed out because of housing prices. My husband, Chris, works just across the road from Village at Roku, which is a nice change from his long commutes to SF for his previous job. I grew up in Cupertino and then ended up teaching in the same school district where I went to school. I started my career as a teacher in Kindergarten and then moved to 3rd Grade. When kids came into the picture I tried my hardest to continue to be 100% in the classroom and 100% at home. It was hard to maintain so I went part-time. When my oldest child was ready to enter Kindergarten I had the opportunity to enroll her in Cupertino schools, but their intense and hyper-focused academics were a turn off to me. I didn’t want my daughter to feel that academic pressure from her teachers and her classmates. I also wanted her to have a more enriching school experience and be a kid a bit longer, before homework took over her life. My husband and I researched other schools and went back and forth with what was a good match for her. When we came across Village it checked off all our boxes, but there was the volunteer aspect that at first made it hard to commit. It was a priority to Chris and I that our daughter have a memorable educational experience, so I resigned from teaching and we committed to the Village experience!

Since being at Village I have met a wonderful parent community that cares about its children so much. Everyone is so welcoming and kind that I can see how hard it must be to move on as children go to middle school. I enjoy being on campus during my volunteer hours and spending time with teachers and students. I have made some great connections with students in addition to my own child. That has been really rewarding to me because, being a teacher, what I really miss is having those connections to students, where they are happy to have you around and look to you for help. I also like the opportunity to see my own child in her educational environment and how she interacts with her peers. I have learned a lot through volunteering and taking on different school jobs like Field Trip Coordinator and Class Coordinator. All have been rewarding in their own ways. I really thought this was kind of going to be the extent of my volunteering and school jobs, but then I was nominated and asked to be a part of the Board last year. I was honored that my peers felt that I could be valuable and contribute more.

I started this school year as Board Secretary and really have enjoyed getting to know the other Board members and seeing their passion for Village. I see firsthand the hard work that goes into making this school run smoothly and making sure we are doing right by our students. The Board is a group of fun professionals that I am so fortunate to know and work with. Just being a part of the Board has made me more invested in the school and it is an opportunity that I’m glad I took on.

This is our second year at Village and we have our youngest coming into Kindergarten next year. He is so excited and it feels like it will be an easy transition for him because he already feels he is part of the school just by coming to pick up his sister daily.
Even though I feel like we are at Village all of the time as a family, we do like to escape and get away. We enjoy going on outdoor excursions and hanging with friends. On the weekends our kids play sports, so most of the time you will find us at a baseball/softball field or soccer field. As parents, our real joy is watching our kids grow and thrive and I feel like Village plays a huge role in that.

I just hope that all parents and family members can see and feel how valuable our time here at Village is. It makes me happy to see that so many parents know who my child is and that is thanks to all of the parent volunteering. This would never be the case at any other public school. We are privileged that we can spend so much time on campus with our children and their peers. Just keep showing up and being there for the community because, if we can’t be there then Village isn’t Village anymore.