District parents will receive certificates at the second graduation ceremony of the St. Thomas-St. John District Parent University Program at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 29, at the Charlotte Amalie High School’s Ruth E. Thomas Auditorium.Approximately 120 parents have successfully completed the cycle of classes designed to engage and empower them in their roles.
“Parent University has been a wonderful, enriching experience for our parents as well as it has been for me,” said St. Thomas-St. John District Director of Parent and Community Involvement Sharon Richardson. “It is such a delight to see our parents rushing to get to their classes and recalling the presentations and discussions long after the classes have ended. In fact, at the end of many of our sessions, parents want to know when the presenters are coming back or if the sessions will be held again or have a part two. The experience really brings to the forefront the urgency in which we, at the department and district, need to provide parents with information because they thirst for it, and they want help for themselves, their children and their families.
“Too often I’ve heard that our parents don’t care; perhaps there are a few of those, but many of them do. They just need to be equipped with knowledge and empowered to make the changes that we know are necessary. Parent University has definitely provided parents with a comfort zone to ask for assistance and has given them the confidence to make positive changes toward their children’s success in school and throughout their lives.”
For more information, contact Richardson at 775-2250, ext. 8530.