THE IMPORTANCE OF VOLUNTEERING

By Jay Petrek

This article encourages parents and community members to volunteer in their local schools, which was printed in the High School Parent Newsletter.

Parent Clubs and Booster Organizations involved in the San Marcos Unified School District have been instrumental in enhancing the academic, athletic and artistic experience for students in our schools. Unfortunately, parental involvement in school declines significantly once students transition to upper grade levels. But is volunteering any less important once your child reaches high school? There may be several reasons why parents cut back their volunteer efforts at their student's secondary schools, among them include:

• Parents may have a student who would cringe at the thought of his or her parent showing up to volunteer at school. Those students would have you convinced that none of the cool kids have parents who even KNOW the way to the school.

• Parents may feel intimidated by the new surroundings. San Marcos has big high school campuses with full-size students and a large staff. It can be overwhelming to learn a whole new set of rules, find your way around campus, or meet a whole new set of parents and staff.

• Parents may feel that they have done their share of volunteering, and that it is time for someone else to step forward because the volunteer work always got done in the past.

Among the findings:

• The more parents are involved during a student's high school years, the higher the student's achievement, with improved grades and test scores, as well as better attendance.
• Alcohol and drug use decreases as parent involvement increases.
• High school students whose parents remain involved make better decisions, maintain the quality of their work, and develop more realistic plans as they move through the four years of high school toward life as an adult.