Welcome to the East Mecklenburg High School PTSO newsletter! We send out updates every Tuesday. Sign up here to add your email.

 This Week at East Meck! 🦅

Here’s what’s happening around campus and with your PTSO:

Eagle Pride

 

🦅 💙 A huge thank you to all the East Meck alumni who showed up to support our students last week. Your presence meant the world to our kids and reminded everyone what true Eagle pride looks like.

 

We are especially grateful to East Meck alums:

✨ Former Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts

✨ Incoming Charlotte City Council Member JD Mazuera Arias

…for standing with our Eagles during a challenging moment for our community.

 

And major shout-outs to PTSO President William Taylor and PTSO Vice President Leah Zanville for representing East Meck so powerfully in two different NPR interviews. Your leadership and voices made a real impact.

 

Thank you to every alum, parent, and neighbor who showed up. East Meck pride runs deep — and our students feel it. 

 

While East Meck’s library offers a wonderful program for students, the collection itself is in dire need of renewal. Many of the books are outdated, and there simply aren’t enough of them to meet student demand. Last year, the district provided just $1,200 for new books — enough for only about 60 titles.
 
According to state standards, North Carolina school libraries should have seven books per student, but East Meck currently has only 2.9 books per student. The average publication year of the collection is 2009, compared to the recommended 2015. In a world that has changed so much since 2009, that gap represents a real loss of opportunity for our students.
 
To address this, the library is launching a Titlewish fundraiser. All donations go directly toward purchasing new, shelf-ready books for our students and teachers. The fundraiser runs through Jan. 10, with a goal of $5,000.
 
Every contribution makes a difference and helps build a stronger, more up-to-date library for our school community. To donate, click here. 

Thank you to everyone who donated to our Staff Appreciation Pie Bar last week! A huge thank you to all the volunteers. This event requires a lot of cutting and serving and we couldn’t have done it without all the people who showed up to help! ❤️

The Impact of Your Giving

We are so thankful for our East Meck family and for all the generous donations we have received this year. Your donations have already funded many grants including: 

• iPad for theater for filming of rehearsals and performances

• Refrigerator for counselors

• Athletic shoes for student needing assistance

• Items for Café 495

• A treasure box and “treasures” for encouragement of students attending tutoring and intervention during homeroom

If you haven’t donated yet, there’s still time to make a 2025 tax-deductible donation! You can drop off a check at the front office or donate online: https://emptso.org/donate.

The following individual donors have contributed $100 or more

to the PTSO Direct Giving Campaign for the 2025-2026 school year:

Ben Brookhart

Laura Caldwell

Rebecca Cheatham

George Christopoulos

Corey Coggins

Angela Daley

Christie Driscoll

Christina Drogaris

Tere Druen

Stacy Feldstein

Heather Flohr

Kelly Gervais

Jim and Heidi Giffin

Candace Gilman

Matt and Kara Glidewell

Jenny Greenspon

Christine Haynes & Mark Wilson

Kristen & Neal Hendrix

Carol Hubbard

Amanda Jaffe

Andy and Tracy Jenkins

Sally Jenkins

Victoria Johnson

Michelle Jones

Pam Kingsley

Lorie Lewis

Jiwon Lilly

 

Shannon Loeffler

Cecily Manejwala

Beth Mclaughlin

Laura Michaud

Carol Mitchell

Maya Myers

Kathy Norman

Genie Ombach

Maria Papanikolaou

Alison Parrella

Sara Piner

Jenny Plyler

Ryan Rich

Deyna Rogers

Lauren Sawyers

Elizabeth Stearns

Cathy Schuver-Stitt

April Storey

Caryn Sutorus

Kam Tai

Jill Tan

William Taylor

Beth Thomspon

Nina & Michael Toth

Julia Trimakas

Leah Zanville

     

• Wednesday, Nov. 19 – Early Release Day/PTSO Staff Appreciation
• Nov. 26-30 – Thanksgiving Break
• Wednesday, Dec. 3, 5-6:30pm – Virtual Curriculum Night 
• Tuesday, Dec. 9, 7pm – PTSO Meeting (virtual)
• Dec. 22 to Jan. 4 – Winter Break