EDWARDSBURG — Behind the scenes of every school are parents diligently working to make sure that events, clubs and fundraisers run smoothly. A lot of time and effort goes into everything the school district does, and sometimes it takes a few unsung heroes to make sure everything gets taken care of. This is where the Edwardsburg Parent Teacher Organization comes in.

“We’re here to support our school in whatever way they ask us to,” said Chelsea Wilson, the president of the Edwardsburg PTO. “It truly takes a village to help raise a child. … We’re just here to try and support our teachers to make sure that our kids get the best education that they can.”

In order to prepare for next year, the PTO met last Tuesday, April 10, to discuss upcoming events and fundraisers, while also starting the process of who will be a member of the PTO board or a school representative next year.

The PTO is currently accepting nominations for any parent with a child that will be enrolled in kindergarten through sixth grade next school year at Edwardsburg Public Schools and will be doing so until their next meeting on June 5.

“We shoot for two representatives at every school and then we have a president, two vice presidents, a secretary and a treasure,” Wilson said. “But if you want to get involved we will make room for you — the more the merrier. More hands make for less work.”

One of the spots on the board that recently opened up is the secretary position. The child of the person who did it last year is going into seventh grade, so she decided it was time for her to step down. They did not have two school representatives at every school last year and, typically, one school representative will move on to a new school each year, as the PTO tries to have a member represent each grade.

“If you’re a school rep, we ask that you come to every event at your school that pertains to your school such as the teacher appreciation lunch that’s held at your school or the holiday shop for your school,” Wilson said. “If you’re a board member, you’re expected to be at every event to help. If you can’t, we understand that life happens and things come up. We ask that you find somebody to fill in for you or at least let us know that you can’t [make it] so that we can find somebody to fill in.”

To be clear, a parent does not need to be a member of the board or be a school representative in order to be part of the PTO. In fact, anyone who has a child enrolled in the Edwardsburg School district is already a part of it.

A time-intensive upcoming event that the PTO is currently preparing for is Teacher Appreciation Week.

“We do lots of lots of things to spoil our teachers who work so hard all year,” Wilson said. “We have parents bring and snacks and goodies every day to fill the teacher’s lounge. We have a luncheon catered by Hacienda. We have Chemical Bank in Edwardsburg paid for Brew Ha Ha to bring in coffee for the teachers on Monday morning.”

Other major events the PTO is involved with throughout the year include the annual holiday shops and an ice cream social at the beginning of every year. The organization is also selling Edwardsburg magnets and decals, which can be purchased through May 1.

Being part of the PTO also helps a parent stay informed on what’s going on at the different schools. At each meeting, principals and administrators typically give reports on their school. For instance, Edwardsburg Primary School is currently collecting pop tabs to help offset the cost of new playground equipment.

For more information on the Edwardsburg PTO, visit the organization’s Facebook page.