About Our PTA

Nebinger PTA Mission Statement

The mission of the Nebinger PTA is to nurture a vibrant and supportive community among the diverse members and friends of our school, including teachers, families, students, and neighbors.

What does the Nebinger PTA do?

The Nebinger PTA is a volunteer organization made up of parents, caregivers and teachers of Nebinger students. Our primary functions are to create a sense of community and belonging for Nebinger families by hosting events and activities throughout the school year; serve as a source of information and social connection; and raise funds to support the growth and development of the Nebinger Elementary school community. Nebinger PTA is one of only two official Parent Teacher Associations in the School District of Philadelphia!

What are the goals of the Nebinger PTA?

The purpose and priorities of Nebinger’s PTA evolve with its board and membership. In years prior to the pandemic, the PTA prioritized growth in membership and fundraising. During the formative years, board members transitioned from organizing informal events to launching the PTA and worked with the school to fund projects and programs. During the pandemic, the PTA focused on direct aid and support for families in our community.

In 2022-23 school year, the strategic priorities of Nebinger PTA will build on this foundation. With new board leadership, the priorities for the 2022/23 school year will be:

VOLUNTEER CORE: Develop a bigger and more diverse core of parent volunteers to support school and PTA programming and events, with meaningful and accessible volunteer opportunities
FUNDRAISING: Build and implement an equitable, efficient, and transparent fundraising approach that strategically meets needs of the Nebinger school community
MIDDLE SCHOOL: Raise awareness and strengthen Nebinger's incredible middle school to improve retention rates in 5th grade and ensure curriculum meets needs of all kids
PTA MEMBERSHIP: Grow and diversify membership and leadership so that decisions represent diverse interests of our school community.

What is the PTA?

National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities and a strong advocate for public education. There are currently over 24,000 total PTAs in the United States, with 4 million PTA members serving 16.5 million students. The average PTA has 186 members.

Why should I join Nebinger PTA?

Nebinger PTA is most impactful when our membership reflects the families of Nebinger. Nebinger is a diverse community of families from the surrounding neighborhood as well as from all over Philadelphia!

Joining Nebinger PTA offers opportunities to stay informed and get involved in and shape the school community. We need your voice to make important decisions about our fundraising goals and how to equitably allocate PTA resources, what kinds of programs we should organize for our kids and families; and how we can support the administration and staff at Nebinger in creating a welcoming and rewarding environment for our kids to learn and grow.

Board of Directors

Alyn Turner - President

Alyn Turner lives in the Italian Market and is mom to a third-grader at Nebinger and a very skittish but loving cat, Scarlet. She works as a social science researcher at a mission-driven education research non-profit called Research for Action in Center City. Alyn hopes to work with the Nebinger community to foster a culture of inclusion within the PTA and among parents and families more generally. As a resident of South Philadelphia for nearly six years, she loves to ride her bike around the city and marvel at all of Philadelphia’s incredible murals. She is learning Spanish on DuoLingo and has always wanted to learn sign language.

Get in touch: president@nebingerpta.org

Carrie Maria - General Vice President

Carrie Maria is the owner of Philly's largest dog walking service. Through her experiences with a non-profit she founded, she has a background in fundraising, event planning, and non-profit organization. Carrie loves organizing volunteers, cheesy mission statements, and getting folks fired up about causes. When she's not behind a computer organizing dog walks or Nebinger events, you can find her quilting, gardening or running. She has lived in Bella Vista since 2005 and loves this neighborhood to bits. Her daughter is in first grade at Nebinger. (And her dog eats things he shouldn't. He's a very good dog that gets bad ideas.)

Nicole de Jessa - VP Middle School

Nicole is a proud product of the Philly public school system. She went on to get a bachelor’s in Ancient Greek and Latin from Temple and a Master’s in Communication from University of the Arts. She currently lives in Pennsport with her husband, Benjy, and two kids; daughter Nina, a rising Nebinger 5th grader, and son Rafi, who will be in Pre-K in the 2022-23 school year. She currently pursues her dual passions of graphic design and cooking her way through her growing collection of cookbooks. In the role of VP of the Middle School, she hopes to share all the amazing things that happen on the upper floors and work closely with the administration to bring as many resources and opportunities to the Nebinger community as possible.

Kyleesha Braxton-Stephens - VP Elementary

Kyleesha Braxton-Stephens is a Philly native who loved the downtown area as a kid. Moving back 4 years ago was a bonus for for her and her family: husband Derrick and 3 children (Sincere 10, Melody 9 and Harmony 4), who all attend Nebinger! Kyleesha often takes trips, loving to travel all over the world with her family. Kyleesha has a passion for child development and often volunteers helping youth and is currently studying behavioral health at a local community college. She also coaches Girls on the Run at Nebinger. Kyleesha’s goals are to engage and support students and families through her involvement and given volunteer time and dedication!!

Silvia Licciulli- Secretary

Silvia loves the idea of supporting the school community and staff in making our kids’ educational experience as fun, rewarding, and inclusive as possible. She is a former cancer researcher turned science writer. Silvia and her husband were born and raised in Italy, but their daughter, who started kindergarten at Nebinger in the 2021/2022 school year, is a proud Philly native. They speak Italian at home and travel overseas often to see their family. Silvia enjoys spending time with friends and loves animals, she believes they make our life so much happier. Their cat, Lemon, agrees.

Michal Strunk - Treasurer

Michal Strunk moved to the US with her family in 1987. She grew up with her brothers as a sheltered latchkey kid, eating food that other kids scrunched their noses at, attending public school in her typical Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood. She was a band kid and belonged to every free morning, after school, and summer program within walking distance of her home. She loves volunteering to support the people and programs that make those experiences possible. She loves the compassionate and empowering culture of Nebinger and its surrounding community. She loves living in South Philly. Michal is a proud mom of Hannah, who looks like a regular girl but is, in fact, a ball of sunshine incarnate.