Menlo Park PTAs honor 'Pillars of the Community' Menlo Park PTAs honor 'Pillars of the Community' (May 12, 2004)

Parents, teachers, administrators, staff members and community volunteers will be honored Friday, May 14, as "Pillars of the Community" for their service to students and the four schools in the Menlo Park City School District. A reception in their honor will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. in Jennings Pavilion at Holbrook-Palmer Park in Atherton.

The event will be hosted by the Menlo Park PTA Council and the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation.

Teachers who received Jeanie Ritchie Grants for their innovative classroom projects also will be honored.

The PTA's highest honor -- the Golden Oak Award -- will be presented to three people who have become legends in the district for their contributions over the years. The three (with the PTA's reasons for recognizing them) are:

** De Modderman , the former business manager for both the Menlo Park and Las Lomitas districts from 1981 to 2004. A Menlo Park district employee for 34 years, she has used fiscal management skills and a quiet, can-do attitude to keep the districts solvent and running smoothly. She's done everything in the business office except drive a school bus.

** Sue Krumbein , who is retiring as the librarian at Hillview Middle School. With energy and enthusiasm, she has supported a variety of literature, art, writing and social studies programs; advanced teaching methods and research; and developed the new Hillview library into a welcoming resource center for students. She has supported the research efforts of Hillview students as they delved into western civilization, Renaissance studies and 20th century history.

** Duncan Williams, a volunteer tutor at Hillview from 1985 to 2004. He has taught English as a second language to more than 100 children. Prior to retirement, he taught engineering at San Jose State and owned and operated the ice skating facility now known as Winter Lodge in Palo Alto.

School PTAs

The follow people will be recognized by school PTAs for "outstanding contributions, energy and commitment":

Laurel: Celia Aufdemberge, Joyce Baker, Marla Dahlby, Kristen Gracia, David Schneider and Rachel Tasch.

Encinal: Kathleen Balestra, Linda Barnes, Carmen Dowley, Gail Bradley, Kathryn Hohl, Terri Richards, and Kathy Smithlin.

Oak Knoll: Sarah Brownell, Trish Mitchell, Barbara Snow, Marcey Winawer, Susan Young; Barbara Cottrell, Mary Lynn Robinson and Cece Waters.

Hillview: Mike Rogers, Richard Vaughan, Julie Brody, Patty Burch, Debbie Devoto, Becky Galvez, Jim C. Healy, David Jones and Nancy Sterling.

District-wide

For district-wide service, the following organizations will honor the people named:

PTA Council: Jeff Child and Nancy Kessler, co-chairs of the district's campaign for parcel tax measures that were adopted by voters in November.

Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation: June Flora, Sarah Fitzgerald, Allison Hale, Chris Rivera, Anne Rosales, Kim Sommer.

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