Northport Public Schools’ recently formed Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is set to meet as a group for the first time this week. Northport residents Melissa Hale and Laura Cavendish are helping to organize the group this year, with one of their desires being to help build and increase the participation of the Northport school and parent community.
“It’s been a long time (since a Northport school PTO existed). The closest thing we’ve had in recent years is a booster club, but that hasn’t existed for a little while, too…” Cavendish said. “Melissa (Hale) has really been heading it, she’s the one that really started to push for it. I have kind of helped her and we’re continuing to take it forward. She started with surveys to the parents to see if there was enough interest, which the response was that there is.”
Cavendish has three kids enrolled at the school, a 6th, 2nd, and 3rd grader, and Hale has two young kids herself, a 5th and 2nd grader, also at Northport. With both parents having students working their way up through the school, Cavendish said they wanted to ensure that there was a PTO group for others who had interest in discussing goals and opportunities for the students and teachers moving forward.
