Mother’s dedication to kids leads to education gathering

SPARKS -- Dena Bodecker decided long ago that her children wouldn't drop out of school, a goal to reverse a regret in her own life.

"I dropped out of school in the 10th grade, and I had no support from my mom," Bodecker said. "She had no clue about math or English and my dad wasn't around. I just decided in order (for my son) to be able to graduate, which was over my dead body he was going to quit -- then along came (my daughter) Tiffany -- I started realizing they really did need me."

The Sparks resident has dedicated herself to volunteering and working at Lois Allen Elementary School in Sun Valley, where she is a parent involvement facilitator to provide extra assistance to teachers in the classroom.

Bodecker also organizes semimonthly math nights and has helped raise money for one of the Washoe County School District's largest playgrounds.

For Bodecker's work at Lois Allen, she has been selected by Parenting magazine to represent Nevada at an inaugural Mom Congress on Education and Learning Conference May 2-4 at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

The Mom Congress is an organization championing mothers who advocate for change in the country's educational policies. Fifty-one moms, including Bodecker, will represent the states and the District of Columbia as delegates.

"Education is, I think, one of the top concerns of just about any parent probably, behind keeping their child healthy and safe," said Elizabeth Shaw, executive editor of Parenting.

"With schools closing nationwide and class sizes rising, parents can feel helpful," she said. "Things may be out of their hands, but what research shows is the more involved parents are, the more successful kids are and we want to inspire parents and make getting involved with their kids' schools accessible."

Parenting magazine launched the Mom Congress about a year ago during a time of change for the publication. It split into two editions that would more specifically serve parents of infants to 5-year-old children and for those of school-aged children from 5 to 12.

The Congress began as an online platform for mothers to connect with others for advice and questions on various issues, such as healthy lunches in school or No Child Left Behind requirements.

But to help moms connect with others on a more personal level, a conference is being planned where they will listen to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and others.

Shaw said the parents' first day in Washington will be dedicated to workshops. The next day, they will all come together, have a chance to meet and create a lesson plan for change. That plan will be developed in conjunction with Parenting, which will run results of that plan in its magazine in the fall. Ideas can cover a range of actions ranging from how to contact a local school board to working with the media, Shaw said.

Bodecker said she is excited to be part of something that will help shape education in the future.

"You may be somewhere in your life where you want to be part of that bigger change," Bodecker said. "You want to know that you left an imprint here, and I guess for me, I'm not a believer that you need big houses and big cars."

She wants her children to be "problem-solvers and make good decisions and be confident in who they are."

Bodecker said she took a position as a parent involvement facilitator after feeling unsatisfied with her son Daniel's education.

"When I first took him to kinder­garten, he went to two-hour kindergarten classes and I would sit out front and do a bit of parent patrol," she said. "His class had 32 kids. She didn't even have an aide, so I started taking stuff home and doing stuff for her. By the time he was in second grade, I decided I wasn't going to give him to the schools, that he was mine and that I wanted him to have my values. At that time, I had no faith in education."

Bodecker said she had conversations with other teachers and realized they needed extra support that she could offer. In the classroom, teachers struggled to reach their students and encourage them to achieve their best, the Sparks mom said.

"I don't believe I do anything above and beyond, anything other than to be honest with (the teachers) and put them in a place where they have to think to themselves to do what is right and where do they want their kids. I just call it like it is. Kids need something. I don't have a problem just saying it."

Laura Petersen, principal at Lois Allen, called Bodecker an amazing person.

"She has so much compassion for people and is a true advocate for children, parents and families," Petersen told the Sparks Tribune in an e-mail. "I am so glad that she was selected because I know she will bring with her a strong voice that represents our state well.

"Before she started, we really had no parent involvement in the school. Families were extremely reluctant to come to our school. Dena worked so very hard to correct this."

Petersen said more than 4,000 hours of parent volunteering hours were logged at the school last year, due in part to Bodecker's support.

The campus has a 40 percent student transiency rate, but Petersen said Bodecker works to ensure that every family feels welcome and connected to the school from the first day they arrive with their child.

Shaw said there was really no formulated criteria in selecting the nominees from each state. Bodecker stood out from a handful of Nevada recommendations.

"She's doing every day what we're hoping to help our readers with," Shaw said. "If every school could have someone like her, this could make a huge difference."