2025 PTA Founders’ Day
Founders’ Day is a National PTA event in which PTAs across the nation celebrate the founding of the PTA (February 1897 as the National Congress of Mothers by Alice McLellan Birney and Phoebe Apperson Hearst). Nationally, the PTA is a network of millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools.
The Dearborn PTA Council observes this day by recognizing parents, teachers, students, staff and community members for their accomplishments, service, and efforts to support the mission and vision of the PTA through a Founders' Day awards event. The Dearborn PTA Council awarded several High School students with scholarships and organized a basket raffle to be created from each local PTA.
This year, the Lindbergh PTA board was proud to recognize two Lindbergh staff members - Jennifer Ruselink and Danielle Currie and two Lindbergh parents – Anna Dewey and Nora Farhat at the 2025 Dearborn PTA Council Founders’ Day event. As a PTA board, we were excited to honor individuals at Lindbergh that go above and beyond to support the mission of PTA: To make every child’s potential a reality by engaging and empowering families and communities to advocate for all children.
Photo credit - Abbas M. Shehab
Learn a bit about our remarkable honorees:
Jennifer Ruselink has taught young fives and kindergarten at Lindbergh for 12 years and has taught in Dearborn Public Schools for 25 years. She is currently on the Lindbergh school culture committee and previously served on the social, March is reading month and parent education committees in addition to serving as a building union representative. Each year, her patience and kind personality foster tremendous social, behavioral, emotional and academic growth in her young fives students. It’s incredible to see the transformation of timid 4 year olds at the beginning of the school year to confident leaders ready for kindergarten. It takes a special kind of person to teach the littles and we admire and appreciate all that she does.
Danielle Currie has taught in Dearborn Public Schools for 25 years. This is her 8th year at Lindbergh, where she has been a vital part of our community. She is the Leader in Me facilitator, co-leader for the Empowerment committee and part of the Guiding Coalition committee. She has served as a facilitator for our school’s Green Team for several years. With her service, she has encouraged many Lindbergh 3rd-5th graders to care for the environment. They have participated in Earth Week, Waste Free Lunch, and the installation of a Rain Garden at Lindbergh, all of which have a positive impact on the environment and community as a whole. Her leadership in these areas has set an invaluable example for our students.
Anna Dewey has been an active PTA member at Lindbergh for over ten years. She has volunteered her time and skills in countless ways, from helping kindergarteners with spelling, making pancakes for classroom parties, to cleaning up after events. Anna has volunteered at numerous events, been a Homeroom parent, and has also chaired events including Field Day and Scholastic Book Fair. Currently, she and her husband are our Variety Show chairs and encourage our students to embrace their talents, feel confident, and support one another. In addition to all of her volunteer efforts, she has donated her DJ services at our PTA dances. Anna is someone we can always count on to help, be supportive, or give sound advice. She’s an all-star volunteer for our school, and an all around amazing person.
Nora Farhat is the parent of a 5th grader and a 3rd grader at Lindbergh, as well as a middle school student at Bryant. Nora has been a constant source of PTA support throughout her time at Lindbergh. As a Dearborn native, she prides herself in being deeply invested in the success of the community and students–and it shows. She has contributed immeasurably to our PTA and school, as an enthusiastic Homeroom Parent, a phenomenal Field Day and Variety Show volunteer, a frequent PTA donor, and even as a girls basketball team assistant coach. We know we can always count on Nora and her family to help. She is a business owner who always brings valuable experience and fresh ideas to support PTA and school initiatives.
Our parent and staff member honorees exemplify the pillars of the PTA by continuing to be kind, yet powerful voices for our Lindbergh students and our community, as well as collaborative participants in the emotional health of our students. We’re beyond appreciative for our ENTIRE staff for always guiding our children in kind ways, teaching our students knowledge and skills, and keeping them safe. Our Lindbergh parents consistently go above and beyond through donations of volunteer time, items, lunches/dinners, monetary amounts and significantly more. We know everyone’s time at an elementary school is limited–from students and parents and even teachers. We appreciate the parents and teachers who make our school a better place for all our children. We are grateful for all of the time, effort, and love they pour into every child, each day to make sure our children have a positive and memorable experience.
Thank you to our Lindbergh community for all that you do!
Previous Staff member Founders’ Day award recipients:
2024: Yasmine Hicks & Mary Robey
2023: John Harvey & Colleen Noe
2020: Pina Prather & Katie Robins
2019: Ms. Bush & Ms. Lorber
2018: Ms. Baloga
2017: Ms. Ackerman & Ms. Lybik
2016: Ms. Stetz, Ms. Wilkie & Mr. Murua
Previous Parent Founders’ Day award recipients:
2024: Mariam Abbas & Sarah Neubauer
2023: Amanda Fawaz & Jasmine Leciejewski
2020: Amanda LeFranc, Melissa Mattison & Edward Mroczka
2019: Gina Berry & Emily Blumenstein
2018: Kimberlee Bogden, Kelly Panackia & Gwynn Bondy
2017: Danielle Lewis
2016: Yvette Abela, Dina Arsenault & Debbie Kohler
Rescheduled: Bingo for Books 4/24 6pm