EVANSTON — Uinta Meadows Elementary has been recognized as a National PTA School of Excellence for the 2017-2019 school years, receiving the honor for a second time after also being recognized for the 2015-2017 school years.

According to the National PTA website, “School of Excellence is a recognition program that supports and celebrates partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.” 

Uinta Meadows Elementary PTA Vice President Tammy Walker said receiving the recognition is a process that began last fall. Schools must enroll on the PTA website and then survey families about various topics, including parental input, communication practices and community involvement. 

Schools then take the results of that survey and spend the next several months working on the areas that received lower marks. Walker said the fall survey showed a couple of specific areas with room for improvement, including communication from school to home and community leader involvement. 

In order to address those areas, Walker said the UME PTA hosted a community leaders night, including local elected officials and business leaders. she said, “There weren’t as many people there as I had hoped, but those who were there said it was fantastic. I hope it’s something we continue to do.” 

Communication was addressed through sending notes home to parents and using multiple ways to get messages home, including emails, phone calls and text messages. Walker said they have also started live streaming both PTA meetings and UME Community Council meetings so that more people can participate. 

Jerrod Dastrup, UME principal, said that the results of that survey and other parental comments have made it clear that people want communication. “The more frequently we can communicate with parents the better,” said Dastrup. 

After making plans and changes to address the weaker areas, schools administer the survey again in the spring. Walker said that scores improved in the areas they had chosen to work on. The school then submitted a summary to National PTA about the actions they implemented and how situations had changed as a result. 

Schools are then notified in late August if they have been recognized. This year 142 schools throughout the nation received the honor. 

Dastrup had nothing but praise for the Uinta Meadows PTA. “Our PTA is so heavily involved,” he said, “that it has helped create a culture where kids are happy and want to come to school.” 

Walker said that the recognition is wonderful, but that the process itself was also helpful. “It’s valuable information and the objective progress is meaningful,” she said. She also had positive comments about her PTA involvement in general. “I really enjoy being a part of it,” she said. “It’s a lot more rewarding than it’s cracked up to be.”