There aren’t a lot of aspects of Ponsonby Public School that parent volunteer Tina Meissner, hasn’t had some part in over the last 11 years.
From organizing a school-wide turkey dinner once a year to tutoring students in reading to filling in as a supply teacher when there’s no one available, Meissner is indispensable to the school community, according to fellow parent volunteers and staff members.
However, Meissner’s time with the school is coming to an end as her youngest child will be graduating from the school this year.
To honour Meissner, fellow parent volunteers Rachel Gerber and Paula Cerveny nominated her for an Upper Grand District School Board Everyday Hero award.
Meissner won one of 10 awards presented on June 1.
“I think these kinds of awards are really important for the community … to honour people and the work that they do,” Cerveny said.
“And so, right away … it was really clear that Tina is the perfect candidate for that, but I think the other reason is, especially this year because this is her final year with Ponsonby … she’s poured her heart into this community.
“So it just kind of made sense this year compared to any other year because it’s going to be heartbreaking.”
One of the more recent volunteer responsibilities Meissner has taken on is tutoring a Grade 6 student in reading. The pair began working together last year and continued over the summer holiday.
“I talked to the teacher and asked her if she could communicate with the parents if we could arrange something just so she wouldn’t be so cold coming into school in September, that she would have a little bit of practice,” Meissner said.
Recently Meissner scribed for the student while she was taking the Grade 6 EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) test.
The student’s teacher, Josh Ellis, said Meissner helped the student move from a Grade 1 reading level to a low Grade 3 level.
“Which is astronomically huge for a Grade 6 girl to make that much of a gain,” Ellis said. “She knows she’s not a solid decoder or a solid reader, but she’s never discouraged to go and practice … she skips down the hall to see Tina.
“So she’s really made a good connection that way. It’s awesome.”
Cerveny, who is physiologist for the Upper Grand District School Board, said Meissner’s connection with the student is remarkable.
“I work with … students across all ages and you hit some of these ages where they don’t want to leave class anymore,” she said.
“They’re worried about being singled out, they’re worried about looking different and so it starts to become a much harder time to sometimes offer a resource, so again it really speaks a lot to the relationship and the trust she has with Tina that she’s happy to skip out of class and go and get that extra help.”
Gerber explained Meissner not only helped the student learn to read, but she also explained why the skill was important.
“I thought that was just amazing that … she gave her a vision, a purpose for reading,” said Gerber.
Over her 11 years, Meissner volunteered to organize things like social events (especially the annual turkey dinner), fundraising activities, field trips and the hot lunch program.
She has also been a member of the parent council.
“I think … it would be neat to honour lots of people in this way because it really makes you feel appreciated for what you’ve contributed,” Meissner said of the Everyday Hero award.
“I was very honoured. It’s very sweet … I get the feedback on a daily basis, but to know that I have had an impact and it’s made a difference is very special.”
Gerber and Cerveny were the lead nominators for the award, but the entire school was involved.
“When the email came out about the award, it was really clear that Tina was the epitome of somebody that this award is designed for, and you can tell because of how this entire community helped put it together,” Cerveny said.
“She’s touched the hearts across all the different grades, you know all the different people that are part of this community.”
Though Meissner’s volunteering started with helping out in her children’s classes, she expanded her reach to the entire school in the last 11 years.
“The students were thrilled to contribute to Tina’s nomination,” Gerber said. “If we walked into a room and asked for volunteers, we sometimes had to whole class almost volunteer to do something or say something.”
And the entire school community kept the nomination a secret until the selection committee contacted Meissner.
“There was no student that came up to me … I had no clue, so it was very cool,” Meissner said.
Cerveny explained Meissner has an impact not only on the students, but on the parents as well. She said, “Whenever anyone comes in to volunteer for an event and there’s somebody like Tina that’s there, it inspires you to want to come and be a part of the team even more.
“Not just because you want to volunteer at your kid’s school, but because of the atmosphere that’s set by doing it and so I just think that you know there is a thriving volunteer program.”
Cerveny told Meissner she has “left a legacy” at the school.
“I think you’ve inspired other people. I don’t think any of us will ever be able to live up to what you’ve done, but [we] want to try and have a piece of that because of the impact we’ve seen you have.
“And so I think that’s a big part of why this was an important nomination.”
