April 5, we gathered together at our 2025 Annual Meeting at the beautiful new Minuteman Tech High School.

The parents, the educators, our community partners, our sponsors, our key Note Speaker, and most of all our beautiful children and youth. The day was filled with sharing and caring, along with learning and advocating; we were together in unity for better opportunities for all of our children for the 115th year since 1910!

Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children...Sitting Bull

Message of Thanks to All

from MA PTA President Cureton

It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since I first joined the Massachusetts State PTA! As I am honored to continue my journey as President, I embrace each milestone with gratitude and excitement.

I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to each of you—colleagues, members, families, students, friends, guests, and sponsors. You have all played a vital role in making our Annual Meeting and Awards an unforgettable experience. Your unwavering dedication to supporting all children inspires me daily.

A special thanks to our keynote speaker, jamele Adams. His rich words and insightful messages uplifted us during the event, but will continue to resonate long after. jamele’s contributions have enriched our PTA community professionally and personally throughout Massachusetts.

I would also like to extend heartfelt thanks to our dedicated Board members and Committee Chairs—Ashley Ferrini, Christie Daniels, Stephanie Gray, Karen DeRoche, Donna Grady, Marina Youssef, and Samantha Lewis—for their invaluable guidance and support over the years. A warm appreciation is reserved for Jackie Coogan and our Reflections Art chair, Samantha Lewis! I appreciate all the volunteers and vendors who helped orchestrate a fantastic Annual Convention and recognition ceremony.

Additionally, I am grateful to Yvonne Johnson, National PTA President, for her message, and our partners for crafting an extraordinary celebration in honor of our 115th anniversary.

Let’s also take a moment to acknowledge our awardees: 

- Cynthia McReynolds, with the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, received the Jacqueline M. Coogan Hero for Health Award.

- Nathan Pierce from Lifetouch was honored with the Commitment to Children Award.

- All local PTA units whose tireless efforts made this day truly special—your contributions have brought countless smiles over the years!

As we celebrate together today, we fondly remember Barbara Bailey. Her sharp wit and vibrant presence will be deeply missed; Barbara holds a cherished place in the heart of the MA PTA. She shared many educational journeys with us.

Each of you has left an indelible mark on Massachusetts PTA—your stories will forever be woven into our legacy. I am especially thankful for the teachers across various school districts, including numerous administrators and staff members within our PTA community; your steadfast support makes achieving our mission possible.



I look forward with excitement as I continue my journey as President of Massachusetts State PTA—a position that entrusts me not just to advocate but also to embrace every student’s potential for future success. The Annual Convention in 2026 promises another unforgettable gathering, where we can celebrate together again!

Here’s to many more inspiring moments ahead! Stay tuned for more details—we can’t wait for you to join us!

Kathresha Cureton, President

Massachusetts Parent-Teacher Association

P.O. Box 44, Rehoboth, MA 02769

k.cureton@masspta.org

Enjoy every moment of your journey and never hesitate to make a difference where you can!

2025 Massachusetts PTA Annual Meeting

Keynote Speaker: jamele Adams

jamele adams

“Love how you love who you love” -jma

Proudly embracing membership in the community of Scituate and the educational family of its schools, jamele serves as the Director for Love, Inclusion and Trust for the District of Scituate Public Schools. Spelling his name with lower case letters, he does so to signal that he is a piece in life’s grand landscape for us all.

jamele Adams was our Key not Speaker at our 115th, 2025 MA PTA Annual Meeting. His message was direct and inclusive. He spoke of love of people especially our children. He spoke of dignity and belonging. He made us cry, he gave us laughter and joy and then encouraged us all to speak out and be heard to always advocate for love, inclusion and trust. The entire audience listened to every word. His message was so needed and very much appropriate for everyone present and in all of our communities. He very much was totally inclusively. He even came prepared to have all of the children to be very much included into his presentation by utilizing their artistic talents "reflecting" his message. A Huge Thank You to jamele Adams!

For More information and contacts at www.massachusettspta.org

jamele subscribes to the mantra “ALWAYS WE, never me.”

You might also check out jamele’s TED Talks.

WE. LOVE..

jadams@scit.org

$106 Million in Funding Cuts

to K-12 MA Schools

Advocacy has never been more important than it is right now! Please read, Marina Youssef, MA PTA Advocacy Chair, tells how MA PTA and National PTA advocates for all our children and schools. Important topics she covers include the following:

• ·Federal legislative priorities
•  Working with state legislators and getting involved locally
•  Importance of giving testimony
• What is going on right now in our school systems

The Trump Administration announced March 31, 2025 that they are to cut $106 million directed towards Massachusetts Public Schools.

This is to impact educators, students, and families, hurting essential programs such as ESL/literacy improvement and tutoring.

This impacts various districts by as much as tens of millions of dollars for some districts in North and South Shore all the way to some districts in Hampden County.

Senator Ed Markey alongside the rest of the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation wrote to the Secretary of Education Linda McMahon addressing these funding cuts and the harm it would cause for various school districts across the Commonwealth, cutting funding towards air quality improvement, security, and mental health supports to name a few.

You can read more about the letter here

Senator Ed Markey is collecting testimonials on the impacts of these funding cuts as well as other actions taken against the public education system. These testimonials help fight back against any action taken that hurts public education systems for the sake of students, educators, and families.

You can find the testimonials form here.

Interested in helping, email Marina at

m.youssef@masspta.org

Art has the power to move us, to inspire us, and to connect us in ways that words alone cannot. It is a reflection of our innermost thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and it has the ability to transcend barriers and bring people together in a shared experience of beauty and emotion.

As we look ahead to the 2025 Massachusetts PTA Reflections Arts Recognition, let us remember the importance of nurturing and supporting the artistic talents of our youth. Let us encourage our children to dream big, to think outside the box, and to never be afraid to express themselves creatively. Let us create a world where art is valued and celebrated for the unique and powerful impact it has on their lives.

Congratulations to all are winners.

Samantha Lewis, yields from the Patrick Lyndon School in West Roxbury has worked tirelessly all year for the MA PTA Reflections Program, Accepting Imperfections.

She has worked across the state toiling to make this program a success. Indeed she has! Many winners, many children and youth entering their Art work as winners or not. They know their work is not perfect but they are satisfied and proud of what they have accomplished. Samantha's words, we need more children and youth to not be afraid to submit and more parents and educators involved in this wonderful program.

She is looking for extra hands to volunteer in this MA PTA Reflections Program. Contact her at s.lewis@masspta.org

Samantha tells us , "sure it's a lot of work but it is all worth it". She welcomes your help. Thank you she tells all of the parents this year for all that you have done!

Our MA PTA members and local leaders are our Strength

Many thanks to each and everyone of you !

Congratulations to all of you, here are just a few Winners

We have so many more.

Go to our website to see them all.

Carol Woodbury Leadership Award - awarded to

Courtney St. Germain, President, Rehoboth PTSA

Barbara Bailey

Membership Award-

Awarded to

Angela Costa, President, Indian Brook Elementary School

Jaqueline M. Coogan

Hero for Health Award - awarded to

Cynthia McReynolds, MBA, Program Manager, Immunization Initiative MA Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Cranberry PTA

Our passionate leaders are eager to connect with you and inspire collaboration among our vibrant community of parents and educators.

The MA PTA is dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone is welcome, and we believe that together, we can make a significant impact on our children’s education and life.

Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of this exciting journey—reach out to Kathresha at k.cureton@masspta.org or

Ashley at a.ferrini@masspta.org, let’s continue to create positive change!

Three Opportunities for Parents, Educators, Community Members and our Children .

It is for THEM,

that we need YOU!

To keep them Healthy,

To keep them Safe,

To keep them Well.

Everyone is Welcome at Massachusetts PTA

The Massachusetts PTA

thanks you for everything

that you do for PTA,

our families, our schools, our communities,

but most of all, our children!

www.masschusettspta.org

So much Gratitude to all of our Partners, Sponsors and Supporters

Welcome to our newest Sponsors and Partners! Without your support at this 2025 MA PTA Annual Meeting and our steadfast Sponsors and Partners throughout the years, the Massachusetts PTA could not do the work we do on behalf of Children, Families, Educators, Schools and Communities. 

Thank You from MA PTA! We look forward to continued collaboration. Thank You for always sharing our Mission: Every Child, One Voice