Brookdale Elementary PTA

Committees

2025-2026 PTA Committees & Chairs

We need your help! The Brookdale PTA cannot be successful without your time, talents, and support. We have many volunteer opportunities available for all schedules and interests. Even if you can’t commit to chairing a committee right now, reach out to either the committee chair or the PTA exec team and we’ll get you connected.

  • Adults-Only Fundraiser

Chairs: Matt and Nikki Guerrero

Enjoy a night out for a good cause! This chair will propose, arrange, market and execute an offsite trivia event for Brookdale parents and caregivers

  • Assemblies: 2025-2026 Chair Needed!

Brookdale offers two all-school assemblies per year aligning with monthly character traits (fall) and Staff Appreciation Week (spring). This chair will identify in-budget assembly options, present for approval, contract with the assembly talent and be on-hand on assembly day to help facilitate the show!

  • Bob the Bobcat

Chair: Ben Kalnicky

Arrange Bob the Bobcat’s schedule to appear at school events (first day, fundraisers, etc.)

  • Bobcat Fun Run

Chairs: Stephanie Blecha and Laura Burgess

Our Bobcat Fun Run is a non-competitive event designed to promote fitness, teamwork, and school pride. Students will jog, walk, or skip their way through a fun and challenging obstacle course while cheering each other on and enjoying a few fun and colorful surprises along the way!

  • Bobcat Spring Celebration: 2025-2026 Chair Needed!

Lead a fantastic end-of-school-year celebration for students and families to come together as one community. The day will be filled with exciting activities, games, music, crafts, and tasty treats — there’s something for everyone!

  • Bobcat Variety Show

Chair: Colin Rust

One of Brookdale’s favorite new traditions! Annual variety show featuring talent from 3-5th grade. This chair plans, arranges, and markets auditions and the show.

  • Brookdale Brainiacs and STEAM Night: 2025-2026 Chair Needed!

Support the next generation of STEAM leaders by planning the beloved Brookdale Brainiacs STEAM fair and STEAM family night!

  • Brookdale Spiritwear

Chair: Maribel Lopez

Show that pride! Work with our spirit wear vendor to offer and promote clothing and accessories with the Brookdale logo.

  • Busy Bobcat Store

Chair: Erica Johnson

Teaching fifth graders business acumen, money and time management, the Busy Bobcat store is a regular event where fifth graders sell trinkets and toys to raise funds for their year-end celebration.

  • Classroom Coordinators

Chair: Monica Scarpino

This role leads and manages the classroom coordinator program, identifying volunteer(s) for each class to run three classroom parties, celebrate each teacher’s birthday, order the teacher’s yearbook and plan for room-specific teacher appreciation week celebrations.

  • Family Dinners Out

Chair: Lisa Biewer

Dinner out for a good cause! This role arranges monthly partnerships with restaurants and other companies to facilitate revenue-matching givebacks for the school.

  • Fifth Grade Sendoff

Chairs: Kay Birkner and Maribel Lopez

Celebrate our fifth graders before they leave the den! This role plans and executes the traditional fifth-grade offiste party, fifth-grade t-shirts, fifth-grade photo and last-day slideshow and clapout.

  • Fortieth Anniversary Celebration: 2025-2026 Chair Needed!

Brookdale is proud to celebrate forty years of learning and fun for the Brookdale community. Help us plan a special and meaningful way to celebrate this incredible milestone, remembering the past and looking forward to the future.

  • Givebacks Storefront

Chair: Tori Wegner

Help manage Givebacks, a tool the PTA uses to process funds for events, yearbooks, and more.

  • Hospitality

Chairs: Amy Gates and Kelly Casmer

Help us support our incredible teachers and administrators by planning hospitality events, like conference-day lunches and dinners and monthly teacher birthday celebrations.

  • IPPC: 2025-2026 Chair Needed!

Represent Brookdale on the Indian Prairie Parents’ Council, a collection of parents from across District 204.

  • Membership Promotion: 

Chair: Kerry Alholm

Calling the Bobcat Community! Encourage participation and membership to increase representation on the PTA. Work with committee chairs to find new and creative ways to make sure all parents and teachers feel connected and supported.

  • Men of Brookdale (MOB)

Chair: Ben Kalnicky

The MOB program brings male role models (dads, uncles, grandparents) into the school for fun and connection during lunch and recess throughout the school year.

  • Monster Bash

Chair: Emily Cropper

Lead Brookdale’s not-so-scary Halloween tradition! Plan a family-friendly fun night of games, tricks and treats at the school to celebrate spooky season.

  • Multicultural Night: 2025-2026 Committee Needed!

Help our community recognize the diversity that makes us great — plan a night of learning, celebration, and connection to our global cultures.

  • Sports Night In

Chair: Brian Heinz

Fighting the winter ‘blahs’ with regular open gym nights at Brookdale, the SNI chair attends each event, ensures the gym is clean after the event ends, and engaging with student and parent attendees.

  • Staff Appreciation Week

Chairs: Mary Kate Garner and Kristen Ayotte

Recognize the incredible Bobcat staff for all they do every day — this role plans a week of events to say thank you to teachers and staff, which typically includes meals, small gifts, an event or perk, recognition opportunities, a school-wide assembly, and more.

  • Yearbook

Chairs: Tori Wegner and Tracee Huang

Part planner, part graphic designer, the Yearbook chair works with our vendor to design and build our annual school yearbook; they also work with the PTA exec board and the administration team to sell and distribute yearbooks.