By Katharine Pike, Parent Association President and Ruchi Bhutani and Roomi Sharma, Parent Association Volunteer Coordinators

Parent participation has always been an integral component at Eastside Prep. From the early founders to new families who have joined this year, parents have consistently and graciously volunteered and given back to the school community. EPS Class Representatives play an essential role in fostering that community engagement. Class Reps have been organizing back-to-school picnics and grade-level socials to bring parents together for many years. Traditionally, parents would enjoy those socials, as well as mingling with other parents at Back to School Night, on the sidelines of a sports game, or at a robotics tournament, or musical performance. The past two years have limited some of those other interactions, making the work the EPS Class Reps do to organize and host activities even more important to maintaining the close-knit nature of the EPS parent community.

CHALLENGED TO KEEP PARENTS CONNECTED DURING THE EARLY MONTHS OF REMOTE SCHOOLING IN 2020, OUR CLASS REPS STEPPED UP AND BECAME PROFICIENT IN HOSTING ZOOM AND TEAMS MEETINGS.

Challenged to keep parents connected during the early months of remote schooling in 2020, our Class Reps stepped up and became proficient in hosting Zoom and Teams meetings. As we continued in remote mode throughout the 2020-2021 school year, the Reps found creative, fun ways to bring parents together virtually.

In the fall of 2021, Class Reps Roomi Sharma, Julia Ying, and Arti Kumar hosted an ’80s music night for the tenth-grade Halloween celebration, featuring a local DJ and ending with some fun music trivia. They also used their regular coffee socials to discuss the various options for their teens to sign up for online driving classes in the area. These and other valuable discussions on summer camps and volunteer opportunities were then shared with the whole grade as part of their monthly email communication.

Trying to keep the virtual format fresh and interesting, Class Reps Bengu Bostanci, Ruchi Bhutani, Bionca Akram, and Mehran Mokdad scheduled an online baking class for sixth-grade parents in the spring of 2021. The Class Reps met with a pastry chef virtually and then did an online practice session with er to map out the time and equipment needed for making madeleines, a small French cake baked in the shape of a shell. They collaborated with the chef to simplify the recipe to work better for a Zoom session and translated the quantities in the authentic French recipe from the metric measuring system to the imperial system commonly used in the U.S. The Reps also sent parents a list of required supplies in advance of the class. The madeleine baking event was a huge success and was ultimately replicated by another grade later that trimester.

At the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Class Reps and parents alike were thrilled to be able to return to in-person events. Reps in all grades shared ideas for the best outdoor coffee venues on the Eastside and began scheduling get-togethers. Class Reps Joumana Hoballah and Jameela Rana hosted the twelfth-grade coffee outdoors at a Starbucks in Kirkland and ten parents stayed for two hours—in November weather! Sixth grade Class Reps Sun Chaney, Chandra Pandey, and Muge Dogan hosted nine parents at Queen Bee Cafe in Clyde Hill. In the tenth grade, Class Reps Amy Lorimer, Juhee Nahar, and Shairose Gulamani hosted a social at Mercurys Coffee Co. in Bellevue and just might have broken a record for attendance.

THERE WERE MANY GRADE-LEVEL SOCIALS IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AND PARENTS CAN LOOK FORWARD TO MORE EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IF YOU HAVE NOT ATTENDED A GRADE-LEVEL EVENT, WAIT NO LONGER!

All grades continued to host virtual get-togethers for those parents who cannot (or prefer not) to attend in-person. With the school going remote the first two weeks after Winter Break, fifth grade Reps Sukriti Singhal, Gagan Oberoi, and Anirudh Rusia hosted nine parents virtually over Zoom. Many grades also started parent WhatsApp groups, which have been a valuable communication resource. When the vaccinations for twelve-to-sixteen age groups were approved back in June, the parents shared appointment scheduling information on the parent WhatsApp groups. This helped a lot of parents get their children vaccinated more quickly. The groups are a quick,  convenient way for all parents to chat, ask questions, or get last-minute help finding a meeting link to EPS online events.

Staying in touch with our school community is especially important during these times. Connections do not happen as organically as they used to prepandemic, but the parents volunteering as Class Reps are dedicated to organizing ways for parents to connect in person and online, depending on the ever-changing safety guidelines. There  were many grade-level socials in the first half of the school year and parents can look forward to more events throughout the year.

If you have not attended a grade-level event, wait no longer! We have an amazing, intelligent, multicultural group of parents with fascinating experience, knowledge, and stories to share. Thanks to the diligent Class Reps, your next opportunity to mingle with this group is coming soon.