Several local residents who make a habit of focusing on Greenville’s public schools received a bit of praise recently from local PTA leaders.

Greenville ISD’s Council PTA presented its annual “Lion Heart” awards to local residents Jenny Bays, Sue Shanks and Marsha Fincher at a recent Council PTA meeting.  The award is given yearly to citizens of Greenville and is designated for those who display their generosity to the children of Greenville ISD.

Their donation can be monetary, product or their time.

Council PTA officials say they look to present the award to those who often are “behind the scenes” and therefore go unrecognized.

Bays, a longtime Travis Elementary PTA volunteer, was nominated by the school’s principal, Judy Evans.  Evans lauded Bays for her “spirited, determined and giving heart” for Travis.

“How can someone be shy and tenacious at the same time?  Last year, our staff was treated to an outstanding Christmas meal.  It was only afterwards that I realized Jenny and her husband had paid for it themselves,” said Evans.  “Many children have benefitted from her clean and pressed donations to our clothing closet.  We have all laughed at her costumes to promote RIF.  From box tops to books, she has us covered.”

Evans said Bays has, over the years, almost singlehandedly ran the school’s book fair along with the librarian.  Each year, she asks for names of underprivileged kids and adopts them for the book fair.  She takes them to the fair personally and helps them pick out books appropriate for their level.  To Bays, according to Evans, it’s all about helping a child better themselves.

“What one might not know about Jenny is that she deliberately chose for her child to come to Travis.  Travis is a diverse population and she says she wanted Ryan to experience being with children not necessarily akin to his background,” said Evans.  “She chose us.  Moreover, she has always done everything in her power to help.”

Evans also credits Bays for tutoring struggling academic students and, even the following year, keeping up with those same kids.

“Jenny’s hand has touched and will touch more lives than we can count.  She is truly the Lion Heart of Travis,” said Evans.

Shanks, the Texas Destination Imagination Coordinator and Global DI Board member and Fincher the district DI coordinator, East Texas Region Board member and State Team Manager Trainer, were presented by local resident Bonnie Stewart.

Stewart said that both former teachers had “mentored, taught and cajoled students into creating castles from spaghetti, a wardrobe out of duct tape and molded a kingdom from cardboard” while teaching students about improvisation, engineering, technical, performance and instant challenges.
 
“They live up to the definition of Lion Heart by Webster’s Standards, but also by that of the district definition.  The ‘Lion’ is considered a person of great importance, influence, charm, etc., who is much admired as a celebrity.  In this case more of a Hero, than a celebrity,” said Stewart.  “These heroines began as educators of our students and served the district as faithful classroom teachers for many years.  Then one day they caught the fever… the Creative Problem Solving fever.”

Stewart credited the two with bringing DI – at the time called Odyssey of the Mind – to Greenville’s schools.  Since that time, the district has routinely earned statewide, even national acclaim for its DI program.

“Who can give a child a bag of marshmallows and teach them to build a tower – these Lion Hearts can, and do every day,” said Stewart.  “These ladies volunteer their time to help students, train team managers, organize tournaments and support the entire program from top to bottom.”

The Greenville ISD Council began presenting the award in 1995-96.