09/01/2026
🌟 PTO SPOTLIGHT: Meet Lauren Lewis! 🌟
We’re kicking off our PTO Spotlights with our President, Lauren Lewis - and this one is extra special because this year marks Lauren’s 10th and final year with Sheridan Elementary PTO! ❤️🖤
Lauren and her family have called Sheridan home for 17.5 years. She and her husband, Todd, will celebrate 19 years of marriage this month, and they have two Blackhawks: Lyla, a freshman, and Oliver, a 5th grader.
Lauren has been a family photographer for the past eight years and, before that, ran a home daycare. Her husband, Todd (Our very own Buddy the Elf!) works in logistics.
When we asked Lauren about her Blackhawk family, she said one of the things they love most about Sheridan is the laid-back, close-knit community:
❤️ “It’s such a privilege to get to raise kids with people who feel like ‘our people,’ and we love the sense of village it provides.”
And PTO actually played a pretty big role in helping Sheridan become that village for the Lewis family.
When Lyla first started kindergarten, Lauren says they still felt very much like “move-ins” and a fish out of water. Because she was fortunate enough to work from home while raising her kids, joining PTO gave her a way to become part of the school community while getting to know what made Sheridan Elementary tick.
Fast-forward TEN YEARS... and it’s safe to say she found her people. 🥹❤️
Lauren says she has been amazed by how much SES PTO has grown and expanded over the past decade, but one of her favorite parts has been getting to share the experience with her own kids.
❤️ “I also love giving back to this community and, even more so, teaching that to our kids. I don’t know what I’ve enjoyed more - getting to be a part of this great group of parents, or getting to watch my kids equally enjoy the sense of pride and hard work that comes with volunteering and building something memorable themselves.”
So what keeps her coming back?
For Lauren, one of the most meaningful parts of PTO is being able to help provide teachers and classrooms with things that traditional school funding can't always cover. Supporting the people who spend every day pouring into our Blackhawks has always been a huge part of her why. ❤️
But when we asked her to choose a favorite PTO event...
🎡 CARNIVAL.
Lauren loves that PTO goes BIG for Carnival. 😂 It takes an incredible amount of time and work, but that’s part of why she loves it! Spending time working alongside PTO members who have become friends, watching families make memories together, seeing the kids’ excitement, and taking on the challenge of building a silent auction successful enough to help offset the cost of putting on the event.
🌟And now for the things you might NOT know about our President... 👀
🚢 Lauren and Todd worked together on a cruise ship in Hawaii!
💍 Todd proposed to her in the mountains of Kona, and they spent a year working in Hawaii before coming home, settling down and getting married.
☕Coffee or Tea? Coffee, without question.
🍬Sweet or salty? BOTH.
🌙 Early bird or night owl? In Lauren’s words: “Neither, haha! Your girl loves her sleep.” 😂 Although she admits she’s most productive in the mornings.
💅 Her favorite local treat is getting her nails done by Kaiden Wilson at Blooming Beauty - because, according to Lauren, “no one is as good as she is!”
☕ And bonus points if she can stop at Planted Prairie for an oat milk latte beforehand.
Ten years is a LOT of meetings, fundraisers, donuts, carnivals, volunteer hours, emails, planning, problem-solving and showing up. But more importantly, it’s ten years of helping build the kind of school community Lauren was looking for when her own little kindergartner first walked through the doors.
Lauren, thank you for spending the last decade giving back to Sheridan Elementary, loving on our teachers and students, welcoming families into the fold, and helping make this community feel a little more like “our people.” ❤️🖤
We’re so lucky to have you leading the way for one more year.
