Annually, the Fenton Education Foundation (FEF) holds a Black Tie Awards Dinner celebrating the academic achievements and careers of Fenton’s community members. It commemorates The Community Contribution to Education Award and The Nancy and Edward Petruska Life Time Achievement in Education Award winners, and invites them as guests of honor. This event has raised over $250,000 in the last 10 years thanks to the Fenton community selling out tickets each year. According to FEF, the dinner includes a seven course meal, cocktails and live music. The event took place on Sept. 5 at The Laundry banquet room and honored Dr. Martin and Traci Lapa and Amy Mowery.
The winners of The State Bank Community Contribution to Education Award include Dr. Martin and Traci Lapa. Their dedication to Fenton’s educational community service was considered in their achievement.
“We are being honored for community service in education, so basically our volunteering in the schools and in the community,” Traci said. “I started volunteering at State Road in 2006 in the classrooms for all of my kids and by joining the PTO and leading the Staff Appreciation Committee. I worked in the classrooms volunteering at least two days a week for all of my kids’ years at State Road. At AGS, I joined the PTO and led the Staff Appreciation and then was PTO president my last year at AGS. At Fenton High School, I was the class sponsor all four years for the class of 2022 but also volunteered for class of 2019 as a committee member all four years. I also was the team mom for all the high school sports my kids did—golf, wrestling and ski for seven years.”
Traci spoke on behalf of Dr. Lapa, who was also honored for his commitment to the Fenton community.
“Marty and I were also members of the curriculum committee for Reproductive Health. Marty also coached little league teams, Fenton youth football, upward basketball and other sports travel teams,” Traci said. “I have been part of the foundation for 11 years, Marty’s business has been sponsoring almost as long.”
The Lapas explained they were appreciated to experience this honor of gaining the award.
“We felt very honored and appreciated, but also know there are many people that deserve this award for their dedication to Fenton Area Public Schools,” Traci said. “We both feel that you need to give back to the community that you live in and to make a difference in the schools. My love for public education is something that we wanted to make sure our kids were proud of their schools and community. We hope by modeling this to our kids that they will be inclined to take on leadership roles and get involved in the communities and schools that they live in.”
The Nancy and Edward Petruska Life Time Achievement in Education Award was granted to Amy Mowery. Her loyalty to the district was evident in her time spent in Fenton Area Public Schools.
“I was a teacher in the district for 33 years. I was chosen as the recipient of this award by the FEF committee for this year,” Mowery said. “It was a true honor to be the recipient of this award. I am following in the names of some amazing people who have received this award in the past. The fact that it was named after Nancy and Edward Petruska is also very special to me as well. Mr. Petruska was my assistant principal when I was in middle school. He was very kind to me and I developed a special relationship with him and his wife throughout the years.”
Mowery gained experience through her career, and she also gained other achievements outside of the award.
“I had the opportunity to build relationships with hundreds of children and their families over the course of my career,” Mowery said. “I have created lifelong friendships and memories with students, families, and the community. I hope that in some way, I inspired my students, their level of confidence and made an impact on their education and their choices.”
The recipients of the two awards were celebrated on account of FEF’s generosity to honor them. To learn more about the event, visit https://www.fentoneducationfoundation.org/black-tie-awards-dinner.
