DES PTA Minutes
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Attended by 31 people
The meeting was called to order at 7:06pm by President Rachel Gross
President Rachel Gross – Opening Remarks
Welcome and thank you for joining us this evening. We will be hearing about the STEAM lab tonight, Boosterthon, and
the upcoming bond issue that affects the Herndon High School renovation. We have 175 members.
Recording Secretary Kim Baker
A motion was made to approve the Sept. 2013 minutes. No one opposed. The minutes were approved.
Community Representative Maria LaWalt
Ms. LaWalt shared that the bond referendum on the upcoming election ballot is for $250 million to renovate and
construct new schools, including general maintenance. The county uses budgeted money to pay teachers and for
students’ needs. The county uses bond money to pay for renovations. Fairfax County has a AAA bond rating which
allows the county to borrow money at very low interest rates. If the bond passes, the planning stage will begin. Actual
construction can take up to 36 months. Herndon High School was built in 1967 and needs a complete renovation,
except the bathrooms.
Assistant Principal Dean Cicciarelli
 Enrollment is up to 757 students, and we’ve added a 6th Kindergarten class
 The school improvement plan is complete and has two goals: 1) Reading and Math, and 2) PBIS – Kids at Hope,
Food Recovery, and the garden in the front of the school
 The Fire Marshall found a few minor violations during a safety and security walk-through of the school. For
instance, some new signage was needed to replace worn and faded signs. The violations are being addressed.
 STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Math. The school is implementing STEAM and all
grades will benefit.
Teacher Liaison Lisa Comeau
 Thank you for coming to Back To School Night and for your continued support
1st VP Lissa Ryan
 Status report with updates from each committee will be e-mailed and posted on the web-site.
 Movie Night has been moved from Oct. 26th to Nov. 1st
2nd VP Christine Brinson
 Nikki Halterman-Mitchell discussed Family Science Night, which will take place on Mon., Oct. 21st. An e-mail will
be sent with a link to Sign-Up Genius for volunteers.
 Rachel Gross reminded everyone that Family Science Night ties to the opening of the STEAM lab.
Treasurer Irina Shestakova
The audit committee found our financial books to be in order. Thank you to Rachel Wacek, Monica Koppelman, and
Melissa DeSantis for their time and effort on the audit! A motion was made to approve the audit committee’s report.
No one opposed. Motion passed.
Corresponding Secretary Kelley Smith
No news to report.
Boosterthon
Kim Baker presented information about Boosterthon, which is the PTA’s main fundraiser for this school year.
Boosterthon begins with an opening Pep Rally on Wed., Nov. 6th, and ends with the Fun Run on Fri., Nov. 15th. Parents
are asked to attend the Pep Rally and the Fun Run to support the kids and the DES community!
Old Business
Rachel Gross reminded everyone that the school still has a subscription to BrainPop, BrainPop Jr., and BrainPop ESL.
This subscription is available to all students at DES. If you need to know the login ID and password, please contact your
child’s teacher.
New Business
No new business to discuss.
Door Prizes
Congratulations to Beth Bollerer and Chris Blouch, who won gift cards to Starbucks!
Meeting adjourned at 8:08pm. Thank you for attending and participating!
Minutes submitted by Kim Baker, Recording Secretary