2012 Volunteers of the Year

The Poway Unified School District is fortunate to have hundreds of volunteers who donate countless hours to the children of PUSD. The PUSD Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. John Collins would like to thank all our volunteers for their time and support.

Each PUSD school has the opportunity to nominate a candidate as an outstanding volunteer of the year. The following volunteers were chosen as district volunteers:

Ron Cole, Black Mountain Middle School

At Black Mountain Middle School, Ron Cole is known as the “go to” guy. He is always smiling and willing to do whatever is needed to help students, staff, and community. Ron can be counted on to find a way to get the task done and make a positive difference.

Ron is currently the PTSA president, inspiring volunteers, and running meetings with expertise and efficiency. He is able to determine the pulse of the school, and encourage staff, students, and parents to meet the school’s needs.

His leadership has made a positive impact on Black Mountain. Some of the projects include:

• Working along with the Black Mountain PTSA and ASB on a reward system so that all students have the opportunity to be recognized for good citizenship and grades.
• Assisting in developing “Running Raiders” for students that are interested in cross country or just a fun after school activity.
• Developing an art program run by volunteers as an after school club. This year Ron extended the program so that Academy students could also participate after the school day.
• Coordinating food drives for the winter and spring break for families in need.
• Participating as one of the “Head Coaches” for Black Mountain’s Science Olympiad team. There were 160 students involved and since only 90 students could compete in the regional competition, Ron organized a separate Black Mountain Science Olympiad Day so that all students had a chance to compete. Thanks to his leadership, Black Mountain finished third in the regionals and sent a strong team to the state competition.

Pilar Gross, Poway High School

As PTSA President, Pilar Gross is passionate about education and an advocate for the mission and vision of Poway High. She uses her strong interpersonal skills to lead the community and support the success of the school. She actively seeks dedicated parent volunteers and donations that keep the school flourishing and relationships with the community growing.

Pilar is a former PTSA President at Rancho Bernardo High School and is currently serving her second term as PTSA President of Poway High School. She is an inspirational leader and incredible volunteer. Whether helping organize registration, volunteering to supervise school events, or organizing monthly staff appreciation events (with delicious lunches for the entire staff!), Pilar is only a phone call away and will drop everything she is doing to come to Poway High and lend a helping hand.

Pilar also volunteers her time to support school-wide programs. She is bilingual, offering the perspective and experiences of a multicultural background. She furthered Principal Scott Fisher’s vision of reaching out to the Hispanic/Latino community helping organize a Principal’s Coffee that was delivered in Spanish and held at Valley Elementary School. Recently, Pilar served on the steering committee for the Every 15 Minutes Assembly (a very impactful two-day drug and alcohol awareness program involving students, parents, staff, the Poway Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, and Pomerado Hospital to send a powerful message about the tragic consequences of driving under the influence).

Sharon Stephens, Chaparral Elementary School

Chaparral Elementary School PTA president Sharon Stephens’ positive spirit was infectious. She always put the needs of the children and the school community first. Sharon had been an active parent volunteer at Chaparral since her children enrolled several years ago. She coordinated projects, volunteered in the classroom, and served as a liaison to the Foundation. Sharon had a wonderful gift for taking on many projects at the same time, and doing an amazing job with all of them.

In August, Sharon began her second battle with breast cancer. In November, she was instrumental in organizing the staff and parent participation in the Komen 5 K in Balboa Park. Chaparral was the largest team there! She remained active in her role as PTA President, and Chaparral volunteer extraordinaire until she began to lose her fight with Stage 4 breast cancer. Sadly, Sharon passed away on March 22, 2012, after a courageous battle against breast cancer.

Sharon is loved and appreciated by the entire staff and school community. She was caring and giving and a strong and active supporter of all the programs that Chaparral Elementary School provides. From Melody Makers and Fitness Club to the Carnival and Kids in Action, she was passionate about the programs that serve students. Sharon has made Chaparral a better place for everyone.

The Poway Unified School District is fortunate to have hundreds of volunteers who donate countless hours to the children of PUSD.  Each school has the opportunity to nominate a candidate as an outstanding volunteer.

The following is a list of all the 2012 Volunteers of the Year selected by their school sites. All of these outstanding volunteers have helped the students, staff, parents, and school communities become the places where students are inspired to learn.

The following volunteers were chosen as 2012 School SIte Volunteers: