Parent Faculty Association (PFA) President Shandis Ching has been volunteering with the group since becoming a kindergarten room parent for her oldest daughter, Addy ’26, now in seventh grade.
Along with volunteering for another round as kindergarten room parent for her younger daughter, Olivia ’29, she’s served the PFA as president-elect, vice president, a K – 1 grade chair and a member of the long-range planning committee. She’s also an avid Carnival volunteer alongside her husband, Adam ’97, working in a variety of different capacities, including their favorite – haku lei-making.
As PFA president, Ching’s hope for the school year is that families feel connected with Punahou, even if their children are in distance learning and School events take place online. “Even though the format may have changed with everything going virtual, our foundational support and goals are still the same, which is connecting parents, connecting faculty and connecting staff,” she said.
If anything, she wants parents to feel like they weren’t alone this year. “My main goal is to create a feeling of connectivity, even though we are distanced,” she added.
To maintain that sense of togetherness, the PFA plans to continue its meetings virtually, including hosting monthly gatherings, Parent Coffees and enrichment opportunities, such as activities that focus on social emotional learning. Ching also hopes to bring some fun and levity to these times through virtual happy hours or other online social gatherings.
She welcomed all Punahou parents to participate, saying all parents of current students are automatically members of the PFA. “Whether you volunteer or attend our events, we want everybody to feel welcome,” she said. “Now it’s really just going to be a click away. So, we really hope that this will be people’s chance to tune in and see what the PFA is all about.”