This article was originally published in the Fall 2011 Harker Quarterly.

Parents from every division celebrated the opening of school at welcome breakfasts, and in the process came together to see how they could help the diverse programs at The Harker School.

The 500 attendees were welcomed by a great group of parent peers and school representatives and the positive response happily overwhelmed volunteer directors Teré Aceves (lower and middle schools) and Sue Prutton (upper school).

Guests shared a delicious breakfast with friends and new acquaintances, met their grade level leaders and heard about the many volunteer opportunities available at the school. The events were themed Celebrate and Hats Off to Harker to correspond to the themes of the annual fashion show and Family & Alumni Picnic (see page 8); tables were decorated with flowered hats and delicious mini cupcakes.

“The events radiated energy and enthusiasm across the school divisions,” said Aceves. “We created this event as a treat out of gratitude for their efforts, but instead Sue and I received the pleasant surprise of seeing many happy and eager-to-help parents – we got the treat!”

Indeed, the meetings resulted in many new volunteers signing up. “From room parent teams, to traffic volunteers to robotics and library, many programs of the school were represented,” said Prutton. “And, surprisingly, inquiries about next year’s volunteer lead positions are coming in. In every division, the number of attendees was up significantly over last year – as much as double in some cases, which just goes to show the energy and enthusiasm of our parents and a growing interest in involvement and sense of community!”