PTA President “Revolutionizes” Fort Smallwood

For the last two years, Ali Lechuk has been president of the Fort Smallwood Elementary PTA, a role that isn’t quite a sit-down job.

“We went to Arlington Echo last year, and I also volunteered with a magician who made my head disappear,” said Lechuk, whose fifth-grade daughter, Malori, attends the school. “I like to be [in the classroom] but also give her some space to see how she interacts with her friends.”

Before serving as PTA president, Lechuk was a self-described “worker bee” volunteer who helped during the book fair, organized class parties and chaperoned on field trips. Now, she delegates many tasks while trying to schedule at least one activity per month for Fort Smallwood’s approximately 450-member student body.

Those activities include ice cream socials, Muffins with Mom, the Race for Education — which raised $37,000 this year for the school, according to Lechuk — and the February father-daughter dance.

“The father-daughter dance was pretty formal last year, so we did a sock hop this year,” Lechuk said, adding that Muffins for Mom had to be separated into two days because the turnout spiked.

While most of the activities are purely for the students’ enjoyment, one upcoming event has a dual purpose. Swing for Hope was conceived last year to raise money for the family of a Fort Smallwood student who had cancer. Guests were treated to friendly competition in the form of a golf tournament at Compass Pointe. Lechuk said another student has been diagnosed with leukemia, so this year’s event on March 3 will benefit two families.

Shotgun start is 9:30am with a buffet around 3:30pm or 4:00pm. Tickets are $10. Email Lechuk at abguizzardi@gmail.com or Andrea Fowler at afowler@aacps.org to get tickets. As an office manager at Glory Days Grill, Lechuk was able to get Glory Days Grill to cater the event.

Lechuk is quick to applaud her fellow volunteers for their support and willingness to help wherever needed. School officials are equally grateful to have Lechuk’s skills.

“From the moment Ali was elected as PTA president, she revolutionized the sense of community at Fort Smallwood,” said Sara Kelly, a fourth-grade teacher. “Ali's sense of dedication to this school is unwavering. From organizing a hugely successful Race for Education event to making sure teachers have a new set of books for a novel study, no endeavor is too big or too small for this phenomenal lady. To say our school is lucky to have her is an understatement.”

When asked why the PTA is such an integral part of the school, Lechuk did not pause.

“PTAs biggest role is making sure kids have every tool they need,” Lechuk emphasized. “Some kids come to school hungry or don’t have a coat, so we bridge that gap between the community and education.”

Pointing to disparities of wealth in Pasadena, she said, “We want there to be an equal playing field for everyone, not for them to be thinking about who is rich or poor. We want them to experience the same events.”