I am Donna Richey and I have been a CTA parent since 2008.  My son is now a junior at Perry High School and my daughter is in 5^th grade. I have been fortunate enough to have the flexibility to volunteer at the school.  I have done everything from room parent, to copy crew, computer lab, and hospitality committee.  Last year, I had the opportunity to fill an opening as a volunteer in the library.  I have to say it is probably my favorite position so far!  My daughter also loves helping in the morning with me before school.  I enjoy working with kids of all ages and enjoy the friendships I have made through volunteering.  It has been very rewarding being a part of the CTA school community.

I am Caroline DiSano and I have been fortunate enough to volunteer in different areas at CTA Liberty throughout the years.  I have been on copy crew, volunteered in the classroom as co-room parent, have chaperoned for parties and field trips (including Science Camp-it was so much fun!), and helped with Book Fair ever since my daughter Alexa started kindergarten at CTA Liberty.  This year I am volunteering in the library on Tuesday mornings, which has been so much fun!  I truly enjoy interacting with the kids and helping them navigate the library.  Alexa will be moving on to junior high next year, so our time at CTA Liberty is coming to end, and I will miss sharing my time at Liberty!

My name is Caren Quinonez.  I am honored to have been chosen as this month's "Volunteer Spotlight". I am a Grandparent of a CTA Liberty graduate, and a CTA Liberty 4th grader. During my tenure as a CTA Liberty Grandparent I have consistently been seen in the copy room. I am a do whatever kind of gal. I serve relentlessly to help the school - often in classes that I do not have a kiddo in. I have been married 38 years, we have three children and eight grandchildren, and we are ALL Arizona natives.  I retired from Motorola as an Engineering Technician in 2010. I soon became bored staying home so much. My grandson began CTA Liberty shortly after my retirement so I made it my mission to help the school as much as possible. I have been a room parent several times, and enjoy helping in the classroom, doing bulletin boards, and of course copy room. I love all the teachers & staff and feel very blessed to be a part of this wonderful school.

My name is Desiree Needham and my husband, David and I have two kids. Our oldest, Sydney is a kindergartener at CTA-Liberty and in a few years, Samuel will become an Eagle. Our journey at CTA has been brief but extremely exciting and rewarding. Our kinder has blossomed into this remarkable book of knowledge, and along with her, we have learned so much about our kinder and the incredible staff at CTA-Liberty. CTA-Liberty has made a great impact on our family by giving us the tools and support to help Sydney succeed in school. Volunteering at Liberty has been an amazing experience. I’m grateful for the opportunity to help support our teachers and take some of the responsibilities off their plate so they can focus in the classroom. Being a volunteer has given me the time to really interact with teachers, staff, and other parents and really make a connection with our Liberty community. Volunteering also lets me experience a brief first hand look at my kinder in the classroom. The bonus part of volunteering is being able to get to know the students in my daughter’s class, just seeing their bright smiles and waves just warms my heart.
As a child I always remembered my mom volunteering at my school and having a great sense of support, comfort and excitement of seeing my mom throughout my school. Now that I’m a mother of two I’m extremely grateful to have the same opportunities to volunteer and support my daughter Sydney as well as our Liberty community.

We moved into our house in Rancho Del Verde in 2007. The housing market was at its height and it was close to impossible to find the home our growing family needed. Our daughter was almost 2 and our second was about to arrive. Quality of schools wasn't even on our radar...yet. We saw there was a school just two blocks away and it made the house that much more perfect. The girls would be able to walk to school! We were thrilled. The years passed, and our girls began kindergarten at Liberty. They both took to it easily. I volunteered to help our teachers and my husband joined Dads Club. I was then approached to join PTO. I had my reservations, but agreed to give it a try for a year. I learned a lot about the school, the district, and the way we can best help our teachers and kids. I made friends (LOTS of friends), not just with parents, but also formed great relationships with the amazing teachers, even the ones who have not had my children. After 3 years of giving my time to PTO, I passed the torch to the next crew of parents. Now, I'm having the BEST time helping the school "creatively", finding special projects that allow me to not only help our teachers achieve their vision and make their jobs easier, but also maybe leave a piece of myself and my time. We didn't know anything about CTA when we moved into our home, but now I can't imagine Liberty NOT being part of our lives. ❤️

My name is Leslee Oakeson. My husband and I have 2 daughters at CTA Liberty. Caitlin is in 4th grade and Anna is 2nd grade, both in the DLI program. I love being involved at my kids' school because it helps me to get to know the teachers, staff, kids, and parents that are around my kids all day. It gives us something to talk about as a family. I feel like the teachers and staff know who I am and who my kids are, which adds to increased communication among us all. I also enjoy helping and serving. I know teachers have limited time during their day to do extra things like copying homework pages and sharpening pencils. It seems like something little I can do to allow them to focus on teaching in the classroom.

My name is Kerry Akin and my husband, Roy Stickler, and I have two boys at CTA Liberty in the traditional program. Jack Stickler is in Mrs. O’Dell’s 3^Rd grade and Bobby Stickler is in Mrs. Martin’s 1^st grade. All of the teachers the boys have had have been wonderful and each year brings new opportunities to support their scholastic career – most importantly through volunteering. I began my volunteerism at CTA Liberty through the Art Masterpiece program in 2015. As a child I loved art and being able to share that with the students is very near and dear to my heart. In addition to teaching Art Masterpiece for both Jack and Bobby’s classes through the years, I have also been a member of the PTO Board and am now a member of the Art Masterpiece Board, a room parent for both boys’ classes, and the 3^rd grade volunteer coordinator.

I am a Director of Business Solutions & Strategy with Optum, where I am able to work remotely from our home in Gilbert, AZ. In my spare time, when I’m not volunteering and going to soccer and swim practices for our boys, I enjoy swimming, vacationing in Huntington Beach, CA, and having fun with my boys bike riding and going to drag races. I also love to cook for friends and family and have been known to bake a cake or two! 

Our experience at CTA is relatively limited as we are just starting our journey with our kinder. I feel as though I’m learning, as my daughter is, on where I can be useful to our teachers and staff. Volunteering at CTA Liberty has been a wonderful experience! It has allowed me to connect with the teachers, staff, and the community my daughter is growing up in. If I had to pick one thing I’m most appreciative of it would be how the teachers and staff take their time to connect with each student. I feel like the students thrive more because they are seen and understood not just by their own teachers, but all of the teachers and staff. It’s truly amazing! I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with the CTA Liberty community. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in for our children and for allowing me to experience a fraction of your busy days.

Since my daughter started with CTA in 2012, I have been a volunteer. The opportunity to be a part of the educational experience for not only my children, but their friends as well is truly gratifying. Working with the wonderful, innovative, and involved teachers and staff at CTA Liberty is a privilege. I feel my volunteer contribution allows our teachers and staff to spend more time one on one with the students and lead their classes without worry about the administrative duties or classroom tasks with which I can help. Thank you for letting me be a small part of the great things CTA Liberty is accomplishing with our kids.

Volunteering at CTA is a gratifying experience, one which I cherish every chance I get.  I have been with the school for the last 6 years, and have thoroughly enjoyed every opportunity to work in tandem with or under our tirelessly hard-working staff and teachers. I appreciate the pool of creativity and talent at our school, and am grateful that our kids have such wonderful role models.