Lake Ridge Elementary wins PTA Impact Advocacy Award

Cedar Hill—For the first time in its 24-year history, Lake Ridge Elementary School has won the Texas PTA Impact Advocacy Award.

The award will be presented at the annual Texas PTA Conference in Grapevine. It honors PTAs that demonstrate outstanding efforts in family engagement, education efforts and civic participation. 

LRE was one of two Texas campuses to win the award.

“It means everything,” Lake Ridge PTA president Kim Garth said. “It means we’re showing up and making a difference. We want to make sure we’re representative of everyone regardless of financial resources or language barriers.”

Garth, the mother of a rising Lake Ridge second grader, is also a finalist for the Lead Like Marni Award, which is presented annually to honor the late Marni Kaner, a Richardson ISD parent who was very involved in PTA.

Garth has served as vice president of the PTA’s membership & fundraising since she became an LRE PTA member in the summer of 2022.

During that time, she helped increase LRE PTA membership through 1-on-1 conversations and visibility on campus.

“We talked about what we did and why we were there,” Garth said. “The PTA is fun, and it enhances learning opportunities at the school. We said, ‘If you join us, we’ll find a place for you.’”

LRE Principal Dr. Amanda McCarther is proud of the honor.

“The Lake Ridge Elementary School PTA is intentional and passionate about advocating for our scholars,” McCarther said. “Through purposeful activities and engagement, they expose our scholars and families to meaningful experiences that create lasting impact. It is an honor to partner with such a dedicated group and to support their ongoing efforts to make a positive difference in our school community.” 

When LRE applied for the award in March, they listed their “PTA Votes” program held last fall.

“We invited school board trustees and council members to read books to the scholars about voting,” Garth said. “The scholars were able to ask questions of the elected officials about the democratic process.”

Members of the Lake Ridge PTA also attended Rally Day at the Texas State Capitol in Austin where they met with State Senator Royce West and State Representative Aisha Davis.