Upcoming Events
April 22-26th- THES Earth Week
April 25th: Spring Dance
May 2nd: Kindergarten Perf
May 6th-10th: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 17th: Field Day
May 23rd: 5th Grd Moving Up
May 31st: Last Day of School / Student Half Day / Q4 Blazer Blast
PTA Executive Committee
Executive Board Nominees for 2024-25 PTA Executive Board
NOTE: Executive Board nominations closed on February 25th after being open for four weeks. We will begin the 30 day review process on March 4th. Elections will occur the week of April 8th. Check out our candidates below and feel free to reach out to them with questions.
| Photo | Position | Name | Board Member Information |
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President | Brooke Joyce |
I'm Brooke Joyce, running for PTA President. My vision is an inclusive community, enriching experiences for our THES family, and effective communication among the PTA, school, and parents.
About Me: My family includes my husband, Nevin, and our two children Colin (1st grade- Ms. Letson) and Liam (4-incoming Kindergartener). I am originally from Hawaii, and moved to Richmond in 2011. I'm a HUGE University of Southern California fan (Fight On!) and a proud Buffalo Bills fan. In addition to my volunteer work at THES and previously on the Board of Young Professionals at SCAN, you can find me out in the yard gardening, at the pool, or on the Tuckahoe Little League baseball field most weekends! Why I'm Running: I'm an active member in the PTA and have chaired the Fall Festival the last two years. I've seen the positive impact of an engaged community. Trailblazer families show up and show out with their support for THES and the community. I am passionate about creating a supportive and inclusive community, I want to enhance every child's education and ensure transparent communication.
Connect with Me: Let's work together to continue the momentum of the Twin Hickory Elementary School PTA. I'm eager to hear your ideas: missbriss@gmail.com |
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Vice President Programs | Bethany Hover |
Bethany Hover is looking forward to serving a second term as VP Programs. She enjoyed serving this role last year and looks forward to continuing to be a part of all the extraordinary programs the THES PTA has to offer. She was previously the Room Parent Coordinator and currently volunteers in the Lunchroom several times a month. She wants to be involved with the PTA to show support to teachers and administrators. Bethany strongly believes that parent involvement and communications is crucial to the success of a school. Her plans for the coming school year include getting a wider range of parents to be involved and to be able to show teachers how much they are appreciated. She has a daughter, Emily in 3rd grade and son, Nolan in 1st grade, both at THES.
Connect with me: brunbe01@gmail.com |
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Vice President Ways & Means | Susie Huang |
Susie is looking forward to running for the VP for Ways and Means for the 2024-25 school year. She was serving as the Business Partnerships Chair and Spiritwear Coordinator for this year. In these roles she has helped the PTA raise about $7,500 for 2023-24, as well as assisting and supporting all PTA events like Fall Festival. She would like to continue growing relationships with businesses within the local community, and advocating for the need for and positive impact that sponsors bring to THES. She is looking forward to creating fundraising initiatives that bring together our students and their families to have fun, while doing something good for their school. Another goal is to improve communication between the PTA, our trailblazer families, and teachers and staff at Twin Hickory. This will help the PTA make better decisions in planning and distributing our funds to support teachers and staff, provide for extra student resources and school improvement projects, as well as making sure our events are what our students and families want. She has 2 boys at Twin Hickory, a 5th grader (Ian), and a 1st grader(Levi).
Connect with me: Susiehuang@gmail.com
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Vice President Volunteers | Bruce Mitchell |
Bruce Mitchell is running for the role of VP Volunteers a second time and offers to continue making a positive impact in his leadership role. He is the current VP of Volunteers after serving as PTA Secretary at THES for the 22-23 school year. He got involved with the PTA to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know the Teachers and Staff, and other THES families. He hopes to get more families connected in the coming school year by adding to the number of active volunteers that already provide great service to THES. Family engagement benefits students, teachers and the entire THES community. His position at home (Director of Household Operations) allows him the freedom to participate at THES as much as possible. He and his wife, Zarin, have a rising 5th grader at THES (Jill) and a rising Sophomore at Deep Run HS (Jenny).
Connect with me: bruce4691@yahoo.com |
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Secretary | Melissa Parvizi |
Melissa Parvizi is looking forward to serving on the Executive Committee as the Recording Secretary for her second year. She has served as the Business Partnerships Chair and served on the Fall Festival Committee previously. Melissa wants to be a part of something that directly enhances our children’s learning and wants to help make our school the best it can be for our Teachers and students. The PTA is in charge of a lot of fun events and clubs at THES, and she values the importance of parents coming together to execute these events. She has 3 children, one in First grade, one in Fourth grade, and one in middle school.
Connect with me: mkparvizi@yahoo.com |
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Treasurer | Josh Skillman |
Josh Skillman is running for Treasurer for the 2024-25 academic year. Josh served as the PTA President for the past two years (2022-23, 2023-24) and as the Chair of the Grounds and Beautification Committee in 2021-22. Josh is running for Treasurer to continue to support THES school team and build upon PTA programs and initiatives to help bring the THES community together. His top priorities are to ensure the finances are well managed and that programs and initiatives that can continue to be supported. Josh has a rising 6th grader (Liya) and a rising 3rd grader (Luke) at THES. In addition to volunteer work on the PTA, he is also an active youth sports coach at the Shady Grove YMCA and the Treasurer for the Twin Hickory Torpedoes. Josh is also an avid runner and unreasonable sports fan.
Connect with me: joshuadavidskillman@gmail.com |
What is the Executive Committee?
To view a quick overview of position responsibilities click this link: Executive Board Member Overview
Click here to learn about the nomination process and election timeline: Nomination and Election Process
Information on volunteering as a committee chair, committee member, or special initiative leader will go live in April 2024. Click here for more details: THES PTA Involvement Opportunities
Executive Committee 2023-24:
| Photo | Position | Name | Board Member Information |
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President | Josh Skillman | Josh Skillman is looking forward to serving a second term as the PTA President. He has previously served as the Chair of the Grounds and Beautification Committee (2021-22) and organized the Learning Garden Clean-Up in spring 2022 with the Earth Savers Club. Josh is running for a second term to continue to support THES school team and build upon PTA programs and initiatives to help bring the community (students, parents, teachers, school administrative staff) together. His top priorities for the upcoming school year include securing funds for an outdoor digital sign for the front of the school and to work with Henrico county to modify the crosswalk between Saddleridge and THES to make it safe for kids and parents to walk to and from school. Josh has a 4th grader (Liya) and a 1st grader (Luke) at THES. In addition to volunteer work on the PTA, he is also an active youth sports coach at the Shady Grove YMCA. |
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Vice President Programs | Bethany Hover | Bethany Hover is looking forward to serving as VP Programs. She has been serving in the PTA as the Room Parent Coordinator and volunteers in the Lunchroom several times a month. She wants to be involved with the PTA to show support to teachers and administrators. Bethany strongly believes that parent involvement is crucial to the success of a school. Her plans for the coming school year include getting a wider range of parents to be involved and to be able to show teachers how much they are appreciated. She has a daughter, Emily in 2nd grade and son, Nolan in Kindergarten, both at THES. |
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Vice President Ways & Means | Chris Bast | Chris Bast is looking forward to serving a second term as the Vice President for Ways and Means. He has been an active member in the PTA during the 2022-2023 school year volunteering in the cafeteria, helping build the outdoor classroom space, and even helping Blazer make an appearance or two. He is excited for the upcoming launch of a new fundraising program to support an exciting new school project. For his second term, Chris plans to use the lessons learned from this year to make next year even better, bring in more support from the business community, and deliver even more value for THES families. He has two daughters, Zoe, in 1st grade at THES and Emily will start Kindergarten in 2025. |
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Vice President Volunteers | Bruce Mitchell | Bruce Mitchell is running for the role of VP Volunteer and offers to make a positive impact in a leadership role. He has already been serving as PTA Secretary at THES for the 22-23 school year. He got involved with the PTA to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know the Teachers and Staff, and other THES families. He hopes to see an increase in the number of volunteers in the coming school year so that new people and families feel more welcome and connected to the school. His position at home (Director of Household Operations) allows him the freedom to participate at THES as much as possible. He has a rising 4th grader at THES (Jill) and a rising freshman (Jenny) at Deep Run. |
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Secretary | Melissa Parvizi | Melissa Parvizi is looking forward to serving on the Executive Committee as the Recording Secretary. She has served as the Business Partnerships Chair and served on the Fall Festival Committee for the past two years. Melissa is happy to be a part of something that directly enhances children’s learning and wants to help make our school the best it can be for our Teachers and students. She believes that our school depends on the PTA for classroom support and numerous activities/school functions. She has 3 children at THES in 5th, 3rd, and K grades. |
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Treasurer | Bharat Menghrajani | Bharat Menghrajani is looking forward to serving a second term as the Treasurer on PTA Board. As a Treasurer, he maintains records to track funds and financial transactions. He is also responsible for preparing annual budgets and financial reports for the PTA. Through his professional experience as an Area Manager in logistics & distribution, Bharat wants to ensure there are no financial obstacles to the teachers, staff & students at THES. For the upcoming school year, he plans to have funds available for the renovation of the school grounds as well as the signs. Bharat and his wife have a daughter, in 3rd grade, at THES. |
Position Descriptions
President: Presides at Board meetings, general membership meetings, and other Board activities. Prior PTA experience is beneficial. Should be comfortable speaking in public. Responsibilities include: coordinating monthly Board and general membership meetings, working with the school administration and staff, and coordinating with committee chairs, coordinators, and Executive Board for PTA programs. Committee includes Communications, Yearbook, Marquee, Directory, Community Involvement, Legislative/Parliamentarian, and County Council.
Vice-President – Programs: Responsible for working with the PTA President and school administration to organize school-day and general membership meeting programs that enhance the educational curriculum. Committee includes Appreciation & Recognition, Earth Savers, 5th Grade Moving Up, Reflections, Running Club, Chess Club and Scholarship. In the event the PTA President resigns from office, the VP of Programs would assume the role of PTA President and begin the election process to fill the vacancy for VP of Programs.
Vice-President – Ways and Means: Responsible for fundraising programs that are consistent with the PTA bylaws, National and State PTA policies, and Henrico County School policies. Drive Trailblazer Club campaign and corporate matching program. Committees include Business Partnerships, Fall Festival, Holiday Shop, Box Tops & Grocery Incentives, Supply Kit, Spirit Wear, and Blazer Blast & Student Store.
Vice-President – Volunteers: Serve as Toolkit Volunteer Administrator (training provided!) and post opportunities/notifications as requested for PTA events or school functions. Computer expertise and good communication skills are key for this role. Coordinate Volunteer Orientation and end-of-the-year Volunteer Appreciation events. Committee includes Grounds & Beautification, Room Parent, Copy Crew, Library, and STEM/Maker Space.
Recording Secretary: Responsible for keeping accurate records and recording the minutes of PTA proceedings, Executive Board meetings and general membership meetings. Maintain list of all PTA members. Attendance at all Executive Board meetings and General Membership meetings is required.
Treasurer: Responsible for the maintenance, tracking and reconciliation of all funds of the association including all receipts and related expenditures. Responsible for compiling a monthly Treasurer’s report and filing an IRS Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax Form 990 in November. Accounting background is helpful but not required.
Looking for more information? Reach out to a current PTA officer!
