Blog

Engagement is one of our words for the year. Being part of a family means being all in. Family shows up!
We could not be more excited about the number of secondary students preparing to head to this weekend’s retreat. Over 90 percent of our 7 - 12 graders will load the buses to Huntsville where they will enjoy a weekend of connection and growth. Please be in prayer for their safety and spiritual development. While there are many opportunities such as the retreat for students to engage with their Logos Prep family, there are also opportunities for parents to become involved beyond the standard demands of University-Model® School. I’d like to highlight a few.
Each Wednesday and Thursday, moms gather in the LP conference room just after drop off in order to pray for the school. Through the years, we know that the prayers of these moms have strengthened and protected us in many ways. This week, we are thankful for their prayers over students and chaperones headed to the retreat. Each week, we help provide prayer needs to supplement those things that they know need to be covered. We also recognize the power of the Spirit to intercede for us, particularly when two or more gathered in His name. Moms who participate in Moms in Prayer understand the power of that time.
“I treasure Moms in Prayer because I know the most important thing I can do for my children is pray for their school, teachers, their classmates, and their individual needs as well. Moms in Prayer is a time each week, already scheduled, when I can gather with other moms and do this,” LP Parent Rachelle Dillett said.
Moms, dads, and grandparents can join Logos Prep in volunteering in many areas of the school. One of these areas is as a front desk volunteer. Front desk volunteers help in a variety of significant ways. This help can be summarized by the words hospitality and security. It is important to us that our school feels as much like home as possible. Front desk volunteers help meet and greet visitors as well as attend to the needs of students, teachers, and staff. Additionally, front desk volunteers work to ensure that every child is accounted for hour to hour and that we are aware of who is in our building. Front desk volunteers and workers are critical to the safety of our campus. Parent of two Logos Prep graduates, Amy Gladish, began her work with Logos Prep as a volunteer and now works permanently at the 59-campus front desk.
“Volunteering at the front desk puts you at the hub of all the activity. Students, teachers, coaches, and parents all pass though. It’s a great way to get acquainted with all things Logos Prep,” Gladish said.
Parents can also participate as volunteers in the activities their children participate in. Athletics, C2, field trips and many more activities come with the need for parents to engage. There are also activities that are one hundred percent volunteer directed. We are thankful for Forest Cole who leads our chess and robotics clubs. While he works tirelessly to make these opportunities available, he also relies on other parent volunteers to assist.

“I started participating because I wanted to see what robotics was all about. I keep participating because it’s so amazing to watch the kids learn and grow their creativity, and I get to learn with them! I love that Logos Prep has something like this, and I love that I can be a part of it,” parent Mary Jubb said.

Similarly, Technology Student Association (TSA) is made available by volunteer parents. We are so thankful for Angela Mowery who was chosen as the Texas TSA middle school advisor of the year for the 2021-22 school year. Though Mowery has begun work as a teacher at Logos Prep, she started Logos Prep’s TSA program and continues offering leadership in a volunteer capacity. Supporting her is a group of dedicated parent volunteers. Parent Alexica Laye understands the importance of offering these opportunities to students.
“It is important to encourage our children and their teammates to pursue math and science, as these disciplines will pave the road to careers of the future,” Laye said. “One of the privileges of attending Logos Prep is getting to help them along this path firsthand.” 
Activities such as TSA allow fathers to also engage in meaningful activities with their children.
“While our family's main priority is to be in a school that helps our children learn to make an impact for Christ, we also seek intensive science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) extracurricular experiences such as TSA,” said volunteer dad Fred Higgs.  “TSA is an organization that allows students to employ soft skills (e.g. critical thinking, leadership, technical presentation, openness to feedback, etc.) while exploring and developing STEM skills through the projects they select! From off-the-grid architectural design to website design, and biotechnology to cybersecurity, Logos Prep TSA students compete at regional, state, and national levels. If you are interested in a STEM career or learning more about it, we welcome your participation,” said Higgs.
This year, we are also excited to see 4H making an entrance at Logos Prep under the leadership of volunteer Mackenzie Buell. In her proposal for the club to be started, Buell explained the benefit it would bring to Logos Prep students.
“It will allow members to dig deeper into areas that interest them and to compete at local and state levels. It will also provide a scholarship opportunity for high schoolers,” Buell said.
We are thankful for all of our volunteers and want to give a special thank you to parents such as Forest Cole, Angela Mowery, and Mackenzie Buell who have worked to bring greater opportunity for engagement and learning to students. Each parent volunteer understands the power of engagement, both for themselves and for their children. Parents interested in volunteering in any of the areas listed above may reach out to the following people to do so.
Moms in Prayer - Julie Goolsby, cutegool@comcast.net; Judy Kurrus, judy.kurrus@logosprep.org
Front Desk Volunteers - Julie Henry, julie.henry@logosprep.org
Robotics and Chess Club - Forest Cole, simply4est@gmail.com
TSA - Angela Mowery, angela.mowery@logosprep.org
4H - Mackenzie Buell, mbuell877@gmail.com

Tammy McIlvoy
Head of School
Logos Preparatory Academy