Ensights Magazine

Barbara Smith family

A Message from the President of the Parent Association

Barbara Smith
A message from Barbara Smith, 2019–2020 President of the Parent Association
Just as Ensworth’s exceptional faculty strives for our children to have healthy, balanced lives, the Parent Association works hard to foster healthy, balanced lives for our Ensworth families. We do this by building a sense of community amongst our families, offering insightful and timely parent education, and providing opportunities for service in support of our beloved school.

Building Our Community.

In the crazy, hectic, overscheduled times in which we live, it is more important than ever to come together as a community and connect. When I ask other parents what makes our school so special, they invariably say it is the sense of belonging they experience at Ensworth. The PA is instrumental in building this warm and inclusive community. Every year, our entire Ensworth community celebrates the joy of being Tigers at three fun-filled events: Pancake Breakfast, Tiger Night 2020, and Super Saturday. We also come together in fellow parents’ homes for delicious meals and conversation at grade level and multi-grade parent gatherings. The friendships and personal relationships forged at these gatherings lay the foundation for our connected parent community.
 

Educating Our Parents.

Our children aren’t the only ones learning at Ensworth! With a focus on kindness and empathy, the PA kicked off the year with an inspiring presentation by Leon Logothetis of The Kindness Diaries, a Netflix series about kindness and the power of human connection. Leon told us “the kindest thing we can ever do is to simply see someone else” and challenged us to “go forth and be kind!” Following Leon’s charge, Dr. Michele Borba, author of Unselfie, joined us in January and shared proven and teachable habits to nurture empathy in our own children. In addition to these nationally acclaimed speakers, our Parent Education Committee offered small classes on “mindfulness” and “positive tools for parenting.” A Singapore math video series and two phenomenal book clubs, “Parenting with Purpose” and “Fiction with Friends” provide additional opportunities for learning, fellowship and fun. 

Supporting Our School.

The PA has more than 400 parent volunteers supporting Ensworth in myriad ways every day. Our parent volunteers shower love on our faculty and staff, run the lost & founds, shelve books in the library, help with admissions, coordinate parent education, plan Super Saturday and Tiger Night, staff concessions, and spread sunshine to Ensworth families, faculty and staff. PA volunteers raise revenue through Tiger Night and other fundraising ventures, allowing us to make a gift to the school and fulfill our pledge to the Capital Campaign for the construction of the new lower school building. The funds also support faculty professional development, parent education classes, guest speakers, parent gatherings, class parties for our children, Senior Grad Night, the Freshman Homecoming dinner, and so much more.
 
With over three months left in the school year, there are still many more fabulous opportunities to get involved and build valuable relationships that will last a lifetime. We hope to see you at our upcoming parent education events, and of course, Super Saturday!

Barbara Smith
Back

Share This Article

List of 4 news stories.

Red Gables Campus (K–8)

Nashville, TN 37205
(615) 383-0661

Frist Campus (9–12)

Nashville, TN 37221
(615) 301-5400
Ensworth is a coeducational, kindergarten through twelfth grade, independent day school.