News Releases
October Volunteer of the Month: Karen Baker
Hunting Ridge PTA vice president, programs
With three children at Hunting Ridge School, Karen Baker is an experienced PTA mom who’ll be involved with the school for several years. “Karen always gives her PTA responsibilities her best effort,” said her nominator. “Her committee involvement shows her interest and enthusiasm.”
Karen, who was born and raised in Palatine, lives near Hunting Ridge with her husband, Kevin, and their children: Nicholas, a sixth grader; Mitchell, a fifth grader; and Kelly, who started kindergarten this year. Karen holds a marketing degree from Northern Illinois University and before her family arrived, she worked as an account representative for Revlon in Chicago and later as a trainer, training all new account managers.
Her PTA “career” started when Nicholas was in first grade and she served as room representative coordinator. She spent two years heading up the PTA’s cultural arts program, organizing assemblies featuring drama, music, and art appreciation. Last year she moved into the programs area, a role in which she is continuing this year. Her goal is to find programs that support the curriculum. “Last year, we did a whole-school writing workshop which allowed the kids to write and illustrate their own books,” she explained. “This year I’m planning individual grade-level workshops that support topics the particular grades are working on.”
Karen admits to being “an organized, planner sort of person”—valuable skills when you’re planning multiple programs. She also coordinates the school’s corporate reading programs, which feature incentives from Pizza Hut and Great America.
Her reward, she says, is “just to see the kids smile. I love it when I walk down the hall and some kid I don’t even know says, ‘Hi, Mrs. Baker!’”
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