Grapevine-Colleyville Independent School District -

GCISD is excited to announce that O.C. Taylor Elementary has been named a 2021-2023 National PTA School of Excellence. School of Excellence is a recognition program that supports and celebrates partnerships between schools and families to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being for all students.

O.C. Taylor PTA is one of only 242 PTAs nationwide to be designated a 2021-2023 National PTA School of Excellence. The path to becoming a School of Excellence begins with a joint commitment between PTA and school leaders to strengthen family-school partnerships. The PTA then asked for community input to create goals and a plan of action to address identified needs.

Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, the PTA took part in training sessions, peer-learning calls, and communications to fortify its work with a specific objective to increase family engagement supporting student success and a long-term goal that student academic achievement would improve. Additionally, the team wanted families to be more engaged in regular involvement in each child’s academic progress.

O.C. Taylor saw success in the community-feel of the school: one hundred percent of the staff are PTA members; they utilized parent volunteers as hallway readers; teachers and staff tutored to increase academics; the PTA won the Voice for Every Child Platinum PTA Membership Award (one of only 41 schools in the State of Texas to win this award); and all school and PTA programs connect to academic standards.

“I am so proud of the work our PTA has done to receive this well-deserved designation,” said Lisa Pedevilla, O.C. Taylor Elementary Principal. “Our PTA links our school to our community through many fun events, educational programs, and student resources. Their positivity and generosity inspire our staff and students to excel academically, and they help our school realize our vision of empowering our children today to create a better tomorrow.”

O.C. Taylor joins five other GCISD schools to have earned this recognition – Colleyville Middle, Dove Elementary, Grapevine Middle, Heritage Elementary, and Silver Lake Elementary.

To celebrate its achievements, the National PTA presented O.C. Taylor PTA with a banner to hang at the school, and the campus announced this exciting recognition to students at a school-wide pep rally October 7.