December 27, 2007

Community Maker: Lynne Wach

PTA president and community do-gooder

By Shana McLean Moore
Staff Writer

Many people expect trumpets to blare whenever they perform a good deed, but have you ever noticed that the people who really do the most to improve their corner of the world would sooner stuff a sock in your horn than listen to you sing—OK, toot their praise?

Lynne Wach, Los Ala-mitos PTA president, community do-gooder and the type of friend every soul would be blessed to have, would require an entire bugle corps, and the accompanying sock drive she’d organize herself, to do her justice.

A great many parents who visit the Los Alamitos blacktop can testify to Wach’s can-do spirit and outside-the-box thinking. In addition to having chaired all the big events at the school and having served in various positions on the PTA board, Wach takes on huge projects she dreams up herself to solve problems that most people find too overwhelming to tackle.

Los Alamitos PTA President Lynne Wach works hard to ensure the school and her surrounding community are the best.

In fact, the people who know her best have lovingly coined the phrase, “It sucks to know Lynne,” which is so frequently used that it has recently been abbreviated to “ISTKL.” She inspired the phrase because people discovered they can’t possibly say “no” to her requests for help because she is doing the biggest part of any given job herself, every time.

And these projects are large. One such project was a “While You Were Out” type of surprise for the teachers several years ago.

The staff room had always been the same industrial cream color that looked drab and dirty, and did nothing to inspire the teachers who are charged with inspiring the school’s children. When Wach’s vision was fully implemented, with the help of some 20 parent volunteers, the color scheme was pale yellow, red and black with Mary Engelbreit accessories, including tablecloths, curtains and homey, colorful knickknacks.

When Shyril Mc-Guiness became Los Alamitos’ new principal in 2005, Wach decided it would be a perfect gift to add some color and charm to McGuiness’ new office, as well. McGuiness said the result made her feel very welcome.

“Lynne organized a group of parents to get together and decorate my office in my favorite color during one of the school breaks. Now, when other school principals come to my office for a meeting, they comment on how lucky I am to have such creative and generous parents at Los Alamitos. Lynne is so thoughtful.”

Another project came about because Wach was tired of seeing the kids eat lunch on dilapidated, termite-infested picnic benches that had nails poking out in every which way. Wach’s vision was to replace the old benches with new coated metal picnic tables, re-plane the dirt area, construct a new amphitheater stage and, coming soon, a permanent shade structure and a mural of a sun with a view of the cottonwood trees that Los Alamitos is named after.

She also perceived a need to make PTA more inclusive. She implemented a clever puzzle theme, reminding each person they were an “essential piece” to the success of the school. The puzzle theme is visible all around the campus. In fact, parents who attend PTA meetings even receive a puzzle piece shaped hole punch on a card that will be used in a raffle at the last meeting of the year. The result is an increased sense of ownership and participation in the PTA.

“Lynne makes everyone feel like they have a special purpose at our school and she has a knack for knowing where you fit,” said Nicole Ison, a parent volunteer.

In a further effort to increase participation, Wach worked with Ison to form a Yahoo Group for incoming kindergarteners who started gathering for playdates in the months before school started, making the children’s transition into elementary school that much easier. Wach also sent a handwritten note with a school lion paw sticker to each new family and informed them of ways they could get involved.

This year, when parents and teachers were concerned about a lack of adult supervision during recess, Wach came up with the idea for Parent Patrol. Together with parent volunteer Yolanda Fowler, Wach recruited 70 parents to volunteer one day per month to supervise the playground.

Volunteer Patty Liebscher is an enthusiastic supporter of the program. “Lynne had the idea to give us all sun visors to wear that say ‘Lunch Patrol,’ so we’re easy to spot. We help with the lunch crowd, making sure the kids clean up, and we help on the playground. We don’t have enough paid lunch duty people, so Lynne has rallied the parents. I, for one, really enjoy being out there and seeing the kids during the lunch recess,” said Liebscher.

Not one to step up for only the big causes, Wach also gets involved to resolve smaller dilemmas, like when her son’s robotics team was suddenly without leadership. She stepped up to manage the team and recruited her teenage son, Eric, to guide the fourth graders through the technical aspects. Without the Wach family’s assistance, the team would have had to disband.

“In working with Lynne, what I see is when she has an idea of what she wants done, she takes immediate action and doesn't stop until it is done. And she will work harder than anyone to make it happen,” said Simone Nelson, one of the parents grateful for Wach’s robotics help.

Wach’s caring nature extends beyond the Los Alamitos campus. Because she realizes the Los Alamitos community is fortunate to have such a supportive parent and teacher base, she asked the PTA Council how Los Alamitos could help sponsor a school in the district that didn’t have the funds to start up a PTA on their campus.

“Lynne received the necessary permission from our PTA members to pay some of their dues, and shared ideas with the other school’s president about how to get more members involved,” said McGuiness.

With her plate full of countless volunteer hours, her paying job and a clear devotion to her family, it would be easy assume that Wach had little time for friends, but this is hardly the case. As Los Alamitos teacher and dear friend of Wach, Tonie Finch says “Lynne is someone I can count on for anything! Just last week she cut her own workday short to help me. My daughter came down sick with the flu while I was teaching and Lynne took her home to her house and cared for her until I could get home. This is one of a zillion things Lynne has done for me. She pours her heart and soul into everything she does, and my life is better and our community is better for it.”

Friend Laura Raimondi agrees. “Lynne and I trained for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk together in 2006. She is one of the only friends I can imagine walking with week after week, mile after mile, blister after blister, and still not run out of things to say. She made a wonderful experience even better. Her enthusiasm and commitment were awesome and kept me going.”

The buglers could go on and on, but their lips are chapped from trumpeting all of Wach’s praise. Thank you, Lynne Wach, for making Almaden a better place to live and learn because of all of your hard work and energy.

To nominate someone who makes you grateful to live in the Almaden community as our next Community Maker, e-mail Carol Rosen at carol@timesmediainc.com.