News Releases
November Volunteer of the Month:
Anita Jamnik, President, Frank C. Whiteley PTA
 A positive approach, a great sense of humor, and an infectious laugh are among the many assets Anita Jamnik brings to her job as PTA president at Frank C. Whiteley School, according to her nominator. “She always uses what’s best for children as a guide for decision-making,” the nomination read. “She looks at all aspects of any situation.”
Anita has been active in PTA since her son David, now an eighth grader at Plum Grove Junior High, was in kindergarten, but she will complete her Whiteley PTA “career” next year when daughter Elizabeth moves on to seventh grade at Plum Grove. Anita started out by helping kindergarten teachers in the classroom, cutting, copying, and pasting materials for the children. She also helped with kindergym. Next, working with three other PTA moms, she took on the school yearbook for two years, served as vice president of programs for two years, and is now in her second year as president. “I think that if you’re in the schools, it tells your kids that you think this is important,” she said.
Anita grew up in Park Ridge and graduated from Maine South High School. She attended secretarial school for one year, then married her husband Ed 27 years ago. She worked at Allstate Insurance as a life insurance underwriter from 1988 to 1996, then worked part-time for another company, also in life insurance underwriting. After working for Citibank for a year, she started at Morgan Stanley Home Loans just over four years ago. Anita is now in a new department called the client experience group, where she works on quality issues and resolving high-level issues and complaints.
“I love coming into school and seeing the kids,” Anita says. “They’re so cute, so excited, so happy to be there. It’s fun to see the kids interacting with the teachers and with each other.” Her nominator noted: “Anita’s philosophy is, ‘We’re all in this together—children, teachers, and parents.’”
When she’s not working or at school working on PTA tasks or volunteering elsewhere in the school, Anita enjoys sewing, doing cross-stitch, and reading.
Anita will be recognized at the November 8, 2006, Board of Education meeting, to be held at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, at 7 p.m.
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