Friday, October 16, 2026
The Meadow Elementary School PTA, in Baldwin, has received the National PTA’s highest honor, the Phoebe Apperson Hearst Outstanding Family-School Partnership Award, in recognition of its efforts to build a more inclusive and connected school community.
The award, which comes with a $2,000 grant to support family engagement, distinguishes Meadow Elementary as a School of Excellence.
“Receiving this award is both humbling and affirming,” PTA Co-President Sophea Sainsurin, who also served as co-chair of Meadow’s School of Excellence program, wrote in an email to the Herald. “It validates the intentional work we’ve done to create a school where every family feels welcome, every culture is celebrated, and every voice is valued. It tells our families — past, present, and future — that they truly belong here.”
Sainsurin added that one of the PTA’s biggest challenges was ensuring that all school families — not just the most active ones — felt represented. To address that, the PTA expanded communication, offered surveys in Spanish, provided child care and student-friendly programming during meetings, and created welcoming spaces for families to share input.
The PTA’s cultural celebrations, including its annual Multicultural Festival, became highlights of the school year. Families shared their traditions while students showcased their heritage, creating “joyful, authentic moments where children saw their cultures honored,” Sainsurin wrote.
The group was also recognized at the state level for its literacy efforts, winning the New York State PTA Pick A Reading Partner Award and a $250 prize for its “Meadow Candyland — Reading is a Sweet Treat” program. The initiative featured themed dress-up days, community guest readers and free book giveaways designed to make reading fun and engaging.
“Being awarded at the national level was more than we could’ve imagined!” Susan Geevarghese, co-chair of the School of Excellence program, wrote to the Herald. “We have truly built a welcoming school community where families feel valued, and now we are invested in meaningful partnerships with our wider community.”
PTA meeting attendance grew by more than 50 percent, Sainsurin noted, and membership increased by nearly 80 families. The group exceeded its goal of 260 members, reaching 301.
“One parent shared, ‘I’ve never felt so connected to the school community before,’” Sainsurin wrote. “That shift — from showing up to speaking up — signals that families no longer see PTA as something for ‘other people.’ They see it as theirs.”
Looking ahead, the Meadow PTA plans to expand multilingual communication, continue collecting family feedback, and expand partnerships with local organizations.
“This award isn’t a finish line—it’s a launchpad,” Sainsurin wrote. “Our vision is for Meadow to serve as a national model — a school where every family feels welcome, every culture is celebrated, and the home-school-community partnership thrives in powerful and lasting ways.”
