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We have a great school community of volunteers helping to support our teachers and students at Cornelius Elementary. Below is a description of committees at CES, their chairperson(s) and commitee members for the 2026-27 school year. We are actively seeking volunteers for this year and need your help! Volunteering is a wonderful way to get involved at CES, and to meet new people. We will be happy to help you find a committee that works with your schedule and interests. Indicate your interest to find out more!
Current Committee members please submit expenses here for reimbursement:
Art Expo
Committee Chair– Rachel Noreika Committee member – Julia Mehaffey
Every March, Ms. Gibson and the Art Expo committee transform the halls of CES into an art gallery. Each student from CES has a featured art piece. 600 unique and beautiful creations are displayed for family viewing during Cornelius Celebrates the Arts! Volunteers are needed to help hang the art.
Beautification Glam Squad
Committee Chair – Kate Curll, Committee Members: Lucy Adikhari, Rachel Noreika, Heather Strianese, Cheryl Parrish
This committee works to keep the grounds beautiful and the school and surrounding area clean. Committee members assist by hosting Beautification Days, maintaining flowers at front of school and identifying potential improvements to the school. This committee is active year-round.
Book Fair
Committee Chairs – Kate Curll & Michelle Balch
CES holds one annual book fair in the spring. Many committee members work to make these events run smoothly for teachers and students. Volunteers help set up and break down book fairs, volunteer to help with class preview days, and volunteer during purchase days to help students find books and run the registers.
Celebrate the Arts
Committee Chair – Alyette Keldie, Committee Members – Lauren Pleiss, Colleen Wanemacher, Allie Spencer
This special event celebrates our students’ talents in art, music, dance, and more. Committee volunteers help before, during, and after the event by coordinating Talent Show, securing food vendors, securing event sponsors, and helping on the night of the event. This committee meets at the first of the year to prepare for the event in mid-March.
Family Event
Committee Chairs – Erica Stanczuk, & Jen Sipp Committee Members: Melissa Mizrahi, Eric Nerone
This Committee works to transform our school cafeteria into the year’s theme and create a night of fun. This committee does everything, including decorating, hiring a DJ, selecting food, managing ticket sales, and coordinating volunteers for setup and clean-up.
Fifth Grade Fun
Committee Chairs – Recah Howard Committee Members: Ashley Reile,
This committee works closely with the 5th grade team to ensure the promotion experiences are memorable for our students. They order class t-shirts, secure party sponsorship(s), and coordinate event volunteers. This committee is active in the second half of the school year.
Holiday Cookie Walk
Committee Chair – Julia Mehaffey, Committee Members – Laurie Schwinn
This committee works alongside Principal Holbrook’s 12 Days of Christmas to help facilitate a cookie donation from CES students for our teachers and staff to enjoy in the teacher’s lounge. A few parents or even older CES students can help to receive cookies in the morning car line and bus arrival area, and then set up a sweet dessert spread.
Room Parent Wrangler
Committee Chair – Suzanne Landers
Be the beacon of all things “Room Parent” for our group of amazing classroom volunteers. Assist with all communication regarding quarterly PowerTime with a Purpose events, holiday, and end of year parties. If you are interested in becoming a room parent, please be sure to check the box on your Parent Interest form.
Staff Spirit Team
Committee Chair- Michelle Balch, Committee Members – Eric Nerone, Alya Dickens, Katie Mcilreavy, Gypsy Brafford
This committee is responsible for sparking joy for our hardworking CES teachers and staff by planning various staff lunches and “monthly” treats in our teacher’s lounge.
Teacher Appreciation Week Wizards
Committee Chair – Suzanne Landers Committee Members – Colleen Wanemacher, Laurie Schwinn
This committee works alongside the Room Parent Coordinator to come up with a theme for Teacher Appreciation Week. Each day during that week (5 days total), our teachers and staff (about 70 people total) are treated with special offerings in the teacher’s lounge such as a breakfast, lunch or unique snack. This committee is in charge of designing, sourcing, executing and cleaning up the offerings for each day.
The Auction Experience
Committee Chair – Lisa Szafarczyk, Committee Members – Amy Hennen, Allie Spencer
This committee compiles an array of fun, unique experiences for our annual online fundraiser aimed to spark memorable access for CES students, families and community members. This is one of our two major fundraisers for the year! It’s a wonderful way for parents to support the PTO financially. Committee volunteers help before, during, and after the event by requesting silent auction donations, helping with school communication, and distributing auction items once the auction is complete.
Yearbook
Committee Chair – Marissa Pogue
Our Yearbook Committee works with our school’s vendor to produce our CES yearbook using the provided software. The committee works together to collect photos from parents and staff members, coordinate school club photos, conduct a Yearbook Cover Contest, handle yearbook sales, and lay out the yearbook with captions and names. This committee work can primarily be done from your home and is most active during the months of January – April.