NATCHEZ &045;&045; As Odessa Stumps went up to receive the Frazier Primary and District Parent of the Year awards, several smiling faces watched from the crowd.

One of those faces belonged to first grader Telvin Lowrey &045;&045; her son, and a student at Frazier Primary.

Stumps said Lowrey had been excited ever since he came running home from school one day saying they had announced her name on the intercom.

Stumps was chosen district Parent of the Year after being chosen by Frazier Principal Lorraine Franklin for the school award.

&uot;She’s always just a phone call away,&uot; Franklin said. &uot;Anything you ask her to do she’s going to work until it’s done.&uot;

Stumps said she participates in parent workshops at the school, helps with the Parent Teacher Association and works in her son’s classroom.

She said she volunteers at the school because she wanted her son to learn all he could learn.

&uot;I have an interest in kids and once you enter the classroom you just fall in love with them,&uot; Stumps said.

Franklin said Stumps had a genuine interest in the children.

&uot;She’s a parent who is here not only for Telvin but for all the children at Frazier,&uot; Franklin said.

Franklin said having parental involvement was key to school success.

&uot;You don’t have to be an expert to be an effective volunteer,&uot; she said. &uot;You have to have volunteer participation at all levels throughout your school and it has to be someone who cares about helping kids get a quality education.&uot;

Superintendent Anthony Morris agreed saying parental involvement was necessary.

&uot;I always say the three institutions of learning home, church and school,&uot; Morris said. &uot;Having parents involved is a partnership between the home environment and the school environment. We need as many of those partnerships as we can get.&uot;

Robert Lewis Middle School Principal Cynthia Smith said her Parent of the Year Tonya Washington was actively involved with the athletic booster club.

&uot;It is extremely important to have parents involvement,&uot; she said.

&uot;They are sending their child and every other child a message that they are watching out for you and are available to help.&uot;

Morgantown Principal Fred Marsalis said his Parent of the Year Crawford Harris did everything from traffic directions to cleaning up.

&uot;He’s always around lending a helping hand,&uot; Marsalis said.

&uot;Friday is his day off and he’s here religiously on Fridays,&uot; he added.

The other Parents of the Year include Alfred Smith, West Primary School; Shasta Clark, McLaurin Elementary School; Darlene Jones, Central Alternative School; Ida Cook, Natchez High School and Julia Hutchins Clark, Fallin Career Center.