Terri Lichlyter jokingly calls herself a “professional volunteer,” given her work as the PTO vice president at Petal Primary School and the PTO secretary at Petal Elementary School.
But the faculty and staff of the Petal School District have a somewhat more venerable title for her: the district’s Parent of the Year and their submittal for the Mississippi Department of Education’s 2019 Parent of the Year, for which Lichlyter recently was named a finalist.
“The Parent of the Year at the school level is voted by the school staff,” said Lichlyter, who has two children in the school district. “I was in a meeting at the primary school when they announced it over the intercom. After winning for the primary school, I had to fill out an application with letters of recommendation that were sent up to the district level.
“I was in another meeting at the school when (Superintendent Matt) Dillon came in to announce district Parent of the Year. I was very surprised. I’m honored to have gotten so far and very excited to get Petal into the state news.”
Each year, a committee from MDE reviews several Parent of the Year applications submitted by school districts from throughout the state. From those submissions, four finalists for the award are chosen – one from each of Mississippi’s congressional districts.
Leslie Fye, a mother of two children in the Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District, was eventually named as Mississippi Parent of the Year. Lichlyter was chosen as the District 4 finalist, with Kimberly Jeffares named District 1 finalist and Carrie Handley Miley as District 2 finalist.
“My husband is the Army, and when we moved here a year and a half ago, I jumped right into volunteering at the school because it’s such a great way to get to know other moms and have connections with my kids’ teachers and friends,” Lichlyter said.
Jana Perry, assistant principal at Petal Primary School, said Lichlyter has worked on several projects at the school – spearheading the school’s Coke Top fundraiser, making sure the Boosterthon Fund-raiser ran smoothly and even going door-to-door to make sure every student who ordered a yearbook received one.
“On top of that, she was a classroom volunteer and was even seen mixing vanilla ice cream with green food coloring to give students Green Eggs and Ham ice cream while celebrating Read Across America Day,” Perry said. “Mrs. Lichlyter stood out as the obvious choice for Parent of the Year due to her great attitude, dedication and excellent leadership ability.
“She is a humble, hardworking volunteer that certainly has a servant's heart and continually asks all of us at the school ‘Can I do something to help?’ She is a wonderful role model to our students and is passionate about growing Petal Primary School and the Petal School District.”
For winning at the school level and district levels, Lichlyter received a cake and a Petal gift basket from district officials, as well as a banner with her name on it in front of the school.
“I think the things I get are just because Petal is such a great school (district),” she said. “Petal schools have been such a blessing for my kids, and I have been honored to work with wonderful volunteers and serve the staff and students at both schools.
“I’ve been amazed by how the entire community is so devoted to ensuring the success of our schools. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this community.”
Dillon said as the school district enters into its new year – and new theme “Better Together” – officials are blessed to have parents and volunteers to assist the district in any way.
“They work behind the scenes and do a lot,” he said. “Terri can be seen on the campus of Petal Primary School and Petal Elementary School, and she does a lot behind the scenes that many people might not be aware of – giving of her time, scheduling events and working around our schedule.
“She helps to raise money and provide incentives and different things for our students and staff. I can’t say enough about Terri’s work in our district, and I think it’s great that she’s being recognized at the state level for her efforts, because she’s done a great job in assisting us in our district.”
