May, 2008
As the year winds to a close, Prep Moms remain busy planning for next year. The change to block scheduling will impact a number of our committees and events, and officers and committee chairs have been brainstorming about how these changes might be handled. The area I have received the most questions about is lunchroom volunteer duty. Next year there will be only two lunch periods of approximately 45 minutes each; the lunch periods are separated by 50 minutes of "downtime". A large number of boys will need to be served very quickly at each lunch. To accomodate that, Prep will build a second serving window over the summer. They anticipate that they will need 8 volunteers at each lunch. Looking at the numbers, and our current lunchroom volunteer list, it appears that Prep Moms alone will be unable to meet that commitment. As a result, Prep has approached the vendors about bringing in their staff to help serve lunch; some vendors have been more open to this than others. At the time of this writing, the plan is to continue to offer this as a volunteer opportunity via the Prep Moms website. The names will then be given to Prep for scheduling as needed dependent on the lunch being served that day, and the vendor support. I do not anticipate that cafeteria duty will be lost as a volunteer opportunity - it is our hope that with shorter "shifts" more parents (and we mean Dads too!) will be interested in working.
As I look back over the last year, I remain in awe of the number of parents who selflessly give of their time, talents, energy and enthusiam to Prep. This has been an incredibly enriching experience for me personally, and I cherish the new friends I have made! Thank you to all the committee chairs for their tireless work for Creighton Prep...you are the strength and support of Prep Moms. Thank you to the other officers - Deb Novotny puts in many hours managing the finances of this large organization; Lori Williams steps down this year after serving as secretary for 3 years and always brings a cheery smile to meetings; and Kathryn Sudyka has been a steady source of support and friendship. I am more grateful to these ladies than they will ever know.
If you are an active participant in Prep Moms, you know how rewarding and fun it can be, and I hope you continue to be involved. If you have not worked with us, I encourage you to try it out - whether you are a mom, a dad, a grandparent, or interested "other" - Prep Moms would love to have you!
Tracy McKillip