Parents Association

The McDonogh Parents Association's role is to foster a trusting partnership between the parents and the school through communication, parent education, and community interaction. Our goal is to create a warm, welcoming and inclusive community for all McDonogh families.

The Parents Association supports the School's philosophy and embraces our diversity of background, culture and thought. In following John McDonogh's directive "to do the greatest amount of good" in our daily lives, we hope to make positive contributions, broaden parent understanding of the school, and serve the community through a variety of volunteer efforts.

Board of Directors 2023-2024

Officers

President
Jennifer McKinnell P ’21, ’24

Vice President
Grace Jackson '95, P '27, '29

Treasurer
Dan Povich P '34

Recording Secretary
Marci Gordon P ’28, ’31

Corresponding Secretary
Judy Sulisufaj Kelly P '22, '26

Immediate Past President
Omari Jackson, Sr. P '30

Division Chairs
Lower School Division Chair – Lauren Wunderlich P ‘32, ‘37
Lower School Assistant Division Chair – Leah Zimmerman P ‘35, ‘36
Middle School Division Chair - Lindsay Sagal-Klatsky P ‘26, ‘29
Middle School Assistant Division Chair – Jennifer Ashley P ‘26, 28, ‘29, ‘36
Upper School Division Chair – Alison Watkins P ‘21, ‘27
Upper School Assistant Division Chair – Susan Marwaha P ‘26, ‘28

Standing Committee Chairs
After Prom Committee Co-Chairs – Jenny Meacham P '24, Karrie Sciubba P '24
Community Engagement Chair – Cornell Smith P '27
Community Engagement Vice Chair - Laurie Rosen P '34, '37
Equity & Inclusion Committee Chair - Angela Watkins P '31, '34
Equity & Inclusion Committee Vice Chair – Cherie Marvel P ‘26
Fundraising Chair - Cristina Ginsberg P '27, '30
Parent Education Chair – Ope Arowojolu P '29, '33

Members-at-Large
Yemi Ajayi P ‘33
Alyssa Davis P ‘30, ‘32
Rebecca Fruman P '26, '29
Tia McNair P ‘26
Chioma Onwuanibe P '21, '27
Lindsay Payne P ‘32, ‘34
Sadaf Raza P '29
Otis Rolley P '26, '28

Director of Stewardship and Parent Engagement - Kelly Blavatt

History

McDonogh has a long history of parent volunteerism. In 1923, when the school was 50 years old, parents founded “The Mother’s Club” primarily to raise money for school necessities. Dues were $1 a year. The group bought McDonogh its first school bus, in fact, in 1924.

The Mother’s Club became “The Patrons’ Club” in 1931, which was the same year the club’s first male president took office. The name “Patron” reflected the days when McDonogh enrolled orphans and half-orphans and sponsors paid for their education. McDonogh Patrons remained mostly a fundraising organization until recent years.

The word “Club” was dropped in 2004. After all, Patrons was not a club to which one could belong. Every parent of a McDonogh student was considered part of the Patrons group.

Since fundraising is no longer a primary goal, the mission statement has been revised to reflect that. At the same time, our board of directors voted to change our name to “The McDonogh Parents Association,” which we feel more accurately reflects our identity.

Our mission statement describes our desire to create a warm, friendly, and inclusive atmosphere within the McDonogh community. It also serves as a complement to the school’s mission statement, which includes the directive of school founder John McDonogh “to do the greatest possible amount of good.”