Parent Spotlight: Ashlee Graves, a FACE Success Story
Sheila Armstrong, Customer Support Liaison in the FACE Office, spoke with Stanton parent Ashlee Graves about her journey to employment in the School District of Philadelphia. Ms. Armstrong, a Focus on FACE contributor, shares Ms. Graves’s story below.
On October 12, 2016, I had the great opportunity to facilitate the Family Involvement Conference Informational Workshop for Parent Leaders. At this session, I had the pleasure to meet Parent Leader Ashlee Graves, who is the SAC Secretary for E.M. Stanton Elementary School. Ms. Graves shared with me how she enjoyed volunteering at Stanton and is happy about going to the conference to learn how to increase Stanton’s academics.
During the Family Involvement Conference, Ms. Graves spoke about her passion for bringing change to her community and how she wanted to make a difference with how children grow and learn. Seeing the excitement and hearing her passionately speak about why she chose to be an active member on Stanton’s School Advisory Council led me to inform Ms. Graves that the School District of Philadelphia was hiring and that she sounded like the perfect candidate for what we were looking for!
Ms. Graves shared that she had limited access to the computer and is not as computer savvy as most people and I explained to Ms. Graves that the District has a Parent and Family Resource Center that:
Provides customer support and helps resolve parent questions & concerns.
Acts as a liaison between central office, school staff, and families.
Hosts parent workshops and information fairs.
Provides computer access for parents and families.
Ms. Graves was ecstatic and told me that she would come into the Parent and Family Resource Center when we returned from the conference for assistance with her resume and completing the application. I started assisting Ms. Graves with her resume and application on October 21 when we returned from the Family Involvement Conference and on November 23, 2016 Ms. Graves became an employee with the School District of Philadelphia!
While Ms. Graves credits Executive Director Jenna Monley and Customer Support Liaison Sheila E. Armstrong with the encouragement and support to apply with the District…. it is the FACE Office that gives credit and appreciation to Ms. Graves and other parent leaders who are volunteering tirelessly in our schools to make them great.
When I asked Ms. Graves to share one quote about her process in transitioning from a parent leader to an employee with the District she said, “If you want to make a difference in a child’s life then become an employee with the School District of Philadelphia. This will allow you to be a vital part of children’s growth, not just at home but in schools, and EVERY parent—remember that learning starts with them at home!”
