Parents Association

Welcome! The McDonogh Parents Association (MPA) is a volunteer organization that fosters a trusting partnership between parents and the school through communication, parent education, and interaction. Our goal is to create a warm, welcoming, and inclusive community for all McDonogh families. Every McDonogh parent or guardian is a member of the MPA.

Each year, parent volunteers are needed to support a variety of services, programs, and events, from the parent ambassador program and teacher appreciation meals to Honey of a JamFest and After Prom. We hope you consider getting involved by visiting our volunteer page to view and select volunteer opportunities. We offer roles both large and small, many with flexible schedules. We also encourage you to attend our monthly divisional meetings to meet other parents, gain insight from administrators on what is happening at school, and hear from guest speakers.

We speak from personal experience when we say that assisting with MPA programs and events is a rewarding way to support our school, make lasting friendships, and be part of our fantastic McDonogh community.

Liz Insley P ’17, ’19, ’22
MPA President

Omari Jackson P ’30
MPA Vice-President

Mission

The McDonogh Parents Association's role is to foster a trusting partnership between the parents and the school through communication, parent education, and community interaction. Our goal is to create a warm, welcoming and inclusive community for all McDonogh families.

The Parents Association supports the School's philosophy and embraces our diversity of background, culture and thought. In following John McDonogh's directive "to do the greatest amount of good" in our daily lives, we hope to make positive contributions, broaden parent understanding of the school, and serve the community through a variety of volunteer efforts.

Board of Directors 2019-2020

Officers

President
Liz Insley P ’17, ’19, ’22

Vice President
Omari Jackson P ’30

Treasurer
Kristin McCarthy P ’21, ’23

Recording Secretary
Regan LaTesta ’92, P ’19, ‘22, ’26

Corresponding Secretary
Helen Anderson P '17, '22

Division Chairs

Upper School Chair
Brian Nevin P ’20, '22

Upper School Assistant Chair
J ennifer McKinnell P '21, '24

Middle School Chair
Judith Tortora ’94, P ’25, ’27

Middle School Assistant Chair
M ichelyn Woelfel P '27

Lower School Chair
Brandi Rey P ’26, ’30

Lower School Assistant Chair
M arci Gordon P '28 '32

Standing Committee Chairs

After Prom Co-Chairs
S ari Alperstein P '19 '21
R andi Hertzberg P '19 '20 '26

Community Engagement Co-Chairs
Jill Eisner P '20
Kristin Henry P '20 '24

Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair
Craig Thompson P '22 '24 '29

Fundraising Chair
Rebecca Fruman P '26 '29

Parent Education Chair
Judy Yu P ’20

Members-at-Large

Karima Carrington P '23
Phoebe Cunningham P '22
Cristina Ginsberg P '27 '30 '31
Molly Hanes '20
Flora Kisuule P '30
Merritt Miller P '24 '25
Iesha Moorehead P '22

Family Fee

The Family Fee is used for the many activities hosted by the MPA throughout the year, such as parenting education events, A Honey of a JamFest, teacher appreciation meals, community engagement programming, After Prom, student events, and much more. If you did not contribute to the Family Fee by checking the box on your enrollment contract, donations ($50 suggested amount) are still welcome. Please mail a check payable to McDonogh School, to Jen Little, McDonogh School, 8600 McDonogh Road, Owings Mills, MD 21117.

History

McDonogh has a long history of parent volunteerism. In 1923, when the school was 50 years old, parents founded “The Mother’s Club” primarily to raise money for school necessities. Dues were $1 a year. The group bought McDonogh its first school bus, in fact, in 1924.

The Mother’s Club became “The Patrons’ Club” in 1931, which was the same year the club’s first male president took office. The name “Patron” reflected the days when McDonogh enrolled orphans and half-orphans and sponsors paid for their education. McDonogh Patrons remained mostly a fundraising organization until recent years.

The word “Club” was dropped in 2004. After all, Patrons was not a club to which one could belong. Every parent of a McDonogh student was considered part of the Patrons group.

Since fundraising is no longer a primary goal, the mission statement has been revised to reflect that. At the same time, our board of directors voted to change our name to “The McDonogh Parents Association,” which we feel more accurately reflects our identity.

Our mission statement describes our desire to create a warm, friendly, and inclusive atmosphere within the McDonogh community. It also serves as a complement to the school’s mission statement, which includes the directive of school founder John McDonogh “to do the greatest possible amount of good.”

Documents and Forms

Documents

Guidelines for Committee Chairpersons

Forms

Expense Reimbursement Form
Event Information Form

2019-2020 Meeting Minutes

Upcoming Events

Jun2

After Prom

11:30 PM

Off Campus

View MPA Events

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