Howard County Parent Recognized During Eighth Annual Parent Involvement Matters Awards

June 11th, 2015

Richard Ryans, a Ducketts Lane Elementary School parent, was named a semifinalist and the Howard County honoree for Maryland’s Parent Involvement Matters Awards.

The Parent Involvement Matters Award (PIMA) Program is the nation’s first statewide initiative of its kind—recognizing parents and legal guardians for their exceptional support of public education. Parents are nominated for demonstrating significant, positive contributions in their education communities. This is PIMA’s eighth year.

At the 2015 Parent Involvement Matters Awards celebration on Friday, June 5, five finalists and a statewide winner, selected from 24 semifinalists, were announced.

Ryans was recognized for his role in the Ducketts Lane Parent Teacher Association. Ryans established an official PTA Charter and helped families get to know each other, the new school, and its staff. Ryans successfully led the development of a PTA Strategic Plan, focused on building a strong school community, and shaped parent involvement initiatives for the year.

The PIMA Program recognizes parents from local school systems across the State of Maryland, nominated for their contributions in one or more of the five areas of parental involvement: communication, volunteering, learning, decision making, and community collaboration.