Honor means Scow to return as mentor to other parents

Though she had a major hand in shaping the education of the valley's children for 12 years, a role she valued and respected, Mary Beth Scow does not consider her time as a school board trustee to be her most important role.

That distinction, to her, belongs to motherhood.

No matter what she was doing -- serving as a school board trustee or political consultant, being a wife, community volunteer, choir director, seminary teacher -- being a mother to her nine children was where she placed her priorities.

Scow was selected as Nevada's Mother of the Year by the American Mothers Inc. earlier this year.

The nonprofit interfaith religious organization's mission is to offer support to mothers. Each year, state chapters select older and younger mothers to honor. Scow was selected in the over-45 age group.

Scow's youngest is 16; her oldest is 34. She also has 21 grandchildren, all younger than 11.

As Nevada's Mother of the Year, Scow will represent the organization by serving as a mentor to other mothers. It's a role with which she's well-acquainted.

Whether as a trustee or an experienced mother, others have turned to Scow over the years, asking for advice about their children and their education. What classes they should emphasize, how much parents should be involved with their kids, what they should do for their schools, all are issues on which Scow has advised.

Of course, she also has mentored her children, encouraging them, helping them to develop as individuals, she says.

"DYB: Do Your Best." Hearing that entreaty every morning on their way to school is what her daughter Bethany Schumann and son Richard Scow remember about growing up. In letters they both wrote recommending their mother for the honor, the brother and sister described how their mother told them to do their best in their studies, sports, piano lessons and anything else they did.

Raising children is a lot like gardening, Scow says. Kids are the flowers. They need nutrients -- food, love, nurturing, teaching -- to grow.

Parental involvement is key to a child's development and important to their education, something Scow says she learned as a trustee. She hopes to impart that lesson to others during her tenure as Nevada's Mother of the Year.

"Studies show that everything improves when there's involvement at home," Scow says. "Having that support and nurturing is so vital and something I will really advocate for."

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.