DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Seventy parents have joined a new Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) at Esperanza “Hope” Medrano Elementary School spurred to action at a free carnival and a Create-A-Bear Workshop sponsored by Dallas Vehicle Safety Lawyer Todd Tracy and partially underwritten by WOW VIP Events.
The Tracy Law Firm turned the school playground into a sprawling Carnival of inflatables. The carnival occurred the day before a tornado destroyed five other schools in the Dallas Independent School District. It succeeded in signing up students’ parents for a new PTO. More than 70 parents have joined the first-ever Parent Teacher Organization established at Medrano Elementary.
A team of volunteers from the Tracy Law Firm, students from the June Shelton School and Evaluation Center, and WOW VIP Events turned the school playground and classrooms into the equivalent of an amusement and theme park. Giant inflatable castles, slides, and obstacle courses towered among the trees as students raced through the events. Some students tried their archery skills at shooting blunt-nosed arrows at targets while others threw rubber hatchets.
Principal Mario Mondragón proved to be a good sport by taking a seat in a dunking booth. Students threw balls at a target that dropped Mondragón into a water tank. In the wake of the event, Mondragón says it helped get the PTO off the ground. “The PTO involves the community in the education of our children. Our teachers make more progress in the classroom when they have a relationship with the parents of their students.”
The new PTO has held several fundraising events including popcorn sales. Their first goal is to raise one thousand dollars for the school.
Tracy brought in food trucks that fed more than 600 parents and students free of charge. Inside the school, costumed characters greeted the students.
On December 21st, Todd Tracy and WOW VIP Events staged a Create-A-Bear workshop at the school. Medrano’s students, families, and teachers made 300 customized teddy bears for Christmas.
Students and family members customized teddy bears complete with names, hearts, and T-shirts bearing the school’s Dragon mascot logo.
“This supports our campus improvement plan’s goal to bring in parents to our school. This event helps build a bridge between our teachers and our students’ parents for a united front on education,” said Mondragón.
Last August, Tracy donated $50,000 to build a food pantry at the school. As a result, the school was recently able to give out dozens of full Thanksgiving dinners to students’ families.
“We were so gratified to help our nation’s next generation of leaders during this season of giving. When Principal Mondragón told me his number one goal was to build a Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), we pledged our help and we will keep helping Medrano Elementary’s students, parents, and teachers,” said Tracy.