MISSION VALLEY
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The nation's parent-involvement leaders, the PTA, converge in Mission Valley this weekend and invite the public to join them in learning about how to improve kids' lives.
Although members-only workshops and governance meetings take up much of the agenda, the PTA National Convention & Exhibition's Parent Expo on Saturday is free and open to the public, after the cost of parking at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center.
The convention will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow through Monday. About 2,000 PTA members from across the country are scheduled to attend the convention, which will feature hundreds of exhibitors as well as a fitness class, a Lego robot, safety demonstrations and live satellite radio interviews with students.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, will sign books. A college admissions and financial aid expert from Kaplan and an Internet-safety advocate from computer security firm Symantec will also attend.
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PTA Parent Expo
When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, 500 Hotel Circle N., San Diego
Admission: Free, except for cost of parking
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Debbie Vincent, president of the 9th District PTA, said all parents are welcome at the expo regardless of whether they are PTA members.
“I think what they'll do is they'll find a lot of resources for being involved not only in their schools but in their children's lives,” Vincent said.
The PTA has been promoting increasing participation by men. One of the convention workshops is titled “Male Involvement in the Classroom, School and Community.”
The 111-year-old organization, once known as the National Congress of Mothers, named its first male chief executive officer this week. The PTA's president-elect, Charles Saylors of South Carolina, will become the organization's first board president next year.
The 9th District PTA, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties, recently had its first male president, Brian Bonner.
“I think we're seeing more men involved in PTA at all the levels,” Vincent said.
She said men are quickly rising in the leadership ranks as the PTA actively promotes their involvement in the organization.
Chris Moran: (619) 498-6637; chris.moran@uniontrib.com
