What is the PTO?

This is our seventh year at Founders Carrollton and my fifth year serving as a PTO officer. In the past, I have served as Vice President, Room Parent Coordinator, and class room parent. We chose this school because of the classical education, small class size, and virtue-focused culture. I love to engage with other families as well as serve our amazing teachers and staff. Building a sense of community, retaining our families, and advocating for charter schools are just a few of my priorities. My background is in Marketing, Communications, and Recruiting, which I hope can be useful in this role. I look forward to listening to your ideas and advocating for our families. 

This is our third year at Founders and we are so thankful our kids (7th and 5th) have the opportunity to obtain a classical education in a value-based setting with teachers and administration who are incredibly caring and supportive of students and their families. As a newer family, I wanted to jump in and get to know the Founders community, and the easiest way to do that was to join PTO. I’ve been a room parent each year, and this year joined the board as the Welcome and Volunteer Coordinator. This PTO team has been such an inspiration and reflection of what it means to serve a school community. My background is in creative advertising, where I served as marketing creative director in the retail industry for 16 years. I recently transitioned to a part-time role, and decided it was time to give back more to Founders and serve as PTO Vice President. It’s going to be a great year! Our goals are to form a tighter community, involve more Upper School families in

activities, and serve our teachers and admin as the school grows. I’m so glad to be here, and can’t wait to get to know all of you.

This is our family's fourth year at Founders and first year serving on the PTO board. I have previously volunteered as a room parent. Our family was encouraged to attend Founders from friends before my oldest started kindergarten. We are so thankful for that connection and the wonderful experience we have had since. I look forward to seeing our school spirit and community continue to grow this school year!

I’m Kristen Merkins, and I’m thrilled to be joining the PTO Board for the first time this year. My daughter will be in first grade and after volunteering at events last year, I’m ready to dive headfirst into all things Falcon spirit!

By day, I’m a mortgage loan officer (aka the numbers ninja), but my favorite title is “mom.” With a big heart for our school and a love for building community, I can’t wait to help support our students, staff, and families. I’m always up for lending a hand, cheering loud, and finding ways to make this year a memorable one for everyone.  Let’s make this year fly high with Falcon pride!