More than 100 people were on hand last week for the South Pasadena High School Parent-Teacher-Student Association’s volunteer award ceremony held in the gym.
“We hold this every year to honor those special people that have gone above and beyond for the students and the high school,” Kathleen Michel, SPHS PTSA president, said right before the ceremony last Thursday.
One of the highest honors went to high school PTSA Executive Board member Mickee Collins, who ran the Club Mini-Grant and Grad Night 2018 at Disneyland’s California Adventure, among other activities for the high school.
Collins was unaware that she had won the award and was surprised when informed. She became emotional when learned she was going to be spotlighted during the ceremony.
“I am so honored by this,” Collins said before the ceremony upon learning that she was going to be presented with the award. Her 17-year-old daughter, Riley, is a senior and is graduating this year. “I’m going to be emotional for the rest of the year. I am so humbled that my friends, my peers acknowledged my efforts. I am so grateful for their support.” Collins helped raise $10,000 for the school activities this year as chairwoman of the high school’s PTSA Ways & Means Committee.
“We’ve all been working so hard for the school,” Collins said. “This is a great high school. It’s well-worth the effort.”
Michel said the ceremony, which also featured a lunch, was a way to let those who worked tirelessly for the high school know that their efforts are vital to the school’s success.
“We cannot do the work we do without these volunteers,” Michel said. “And that’s an understatement.” Michel’s plate is most assuredly full as she is steering the upcoming “Parti Gras 2018” fundraiser for the South Pasadena Educational Foundation, which benefits all the public schools in South Pasadena.
The awardees along with Collins included two students, Nicole Srisutham and Kenny Ryu; librarian, Shelee Wilkerson, who started the summer-reading program; and school counselor, Tracy Ishimaru. Srisutham and Ryu received Certificates of Appreciation while the others received Honorary Service Awards. They also received a bouquet of roses along with an outpouring of applause from the crowd attending the lunch.
