In December of 1918, 14 mothers formed the Mothers' Club "to unite all mothers and teachers interested in the welfare of children so that they might labor together in a unity of spirit."

A constitution was written and dues were set at a dollar per year.

In 1933, the name was changed to the School Community Association (SCA) and families became the unit of membership rather than mothers.

The underlying philosophy of the SCA's founders was to side step the PTA concept of a separate organization in each school, which might lead to competition among schools and, therefore, among friends. Rather, the founders opted for a single parent teacher organization (PTO) which would work for the global good of all Manhasset's public school children by equally embracing every school within the district.

For the benefit of those who might not understand the distinction between a PTA and a PTO, allow me to elaborate. The national PTA is a formal membership organization headquartered in Chicago. Local groups that choose to belong to the PTA must pay dues to the state and national organization and abide by state and national group rules. The national PTA maintains a Washington, D.C. lobbying office and most state PTA's advocate at their respective state capitals, as well.

A PTO, on the other hand, is a more generic term. It generally represents the thousands of groups, like the SCA, that choose to remain independent of the PTA and operate under their own bylaws.

Our bylaws, which were incorporated in 1978, state that the purpose of the SCA is to advocate for the students of the district; to unite parents, teachers, administrators and community members in envisioning, enhancing, and promoting excellence in education for all students in the district; and to serve as the parent voice and student advocate in matters of interest under consideration by the Board of Education, faculty and administration of the district.

So for those who believe that the SCA "isn't what it used to be" I can assure you we have held true to our founding principles and our purpose is virtually unchanged since 1978.

We are grateful to the 1,000 plus public school families and teachers who have joined the SCA this year and support our mission to secure the highest advantages in academic, social, physical, ethical and character education for our students. We are most thankful for and proud of your support and promise to continue to always put your children first in all that we do.

Mimi Donohue

Executive SCA President