This special group is nurturing student growth both inside and outside the classroom.
Frisco ISD’s army of volunteers come from many walks of life — they’re parents, grandparents, business owners; North Texas transplants and lifelong residents; veterans of FISD and brand-new to the district. They learn of volunteer opportunities through their school, word of mouth, the FISD website, kickoff events.
And sometimes, they chance upon them in a newspaper.
That was Lisa Berryhill, who moved from St. Louis to North Texas about two years ago, landing in Frisco last year. She was looking for a mentoring opportunity, saw the ad seeking Frisco ISD mentors — and the rest is history. She signed up last fall for the FISD Achieve Mentoring Program (FAM), now meeting regularly with her mentee at their high school.
“I signed up because I wanted to be the person I needed when I was their age,” she said. “I’m passionate about making an impact in the community, especially through mentoring and empowering the next generation. It’s incredibly rewarding to know I’m playing a small part in helping them grow, discover who they are, and realize what they’re capable of.”
Like Lisa Berryhill, Frisco ISD volunteers are nurturing student growth — and those efforts were honored at a reception during Volunteer Appreciation Month in April at the Administration Building.
Volunteers with at least 30 hours of service to schools so far this year — as logged in the VOLY program — were invited to the event.
For the 2024-25 year, according to VOLY, Frisco ISD had:
15,291 registered volunteers
20,132 hours logged by volunteers
2,725 opportunities completed in VOLY
Centennial High School senior Jamie Lee presented a keynote at the reception, expressing her thankfulness for parents who helped during DECA competitions, and business experts who donated their time through ISM and INCubator.
“Looking back, I 100% know I wouldn’t be where I am today without the volunteers who supported me throughout my high school journey,” Jamie said.
These FAM, ISM and INCubator mentors were joined at the reception by members of the Legislative Leadership Committee, Safety and Security Committee, School Health Advisory Committee and Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, as well as Teacher of the Year nomination reviewers and Frisco Council of PTAs officers.
Texas Health Breeze Urgent Care sponsored the reception, and garden-themed desserts made by FISD culinary students were served. A string quartet from Heritage High School also performed at the event, led by instructor Liz Balkema.
At the reception, Deputy Superintendent Dr. Todd Fouche praised the dedication of FISD’s many volunteers and the impact they’ve made, and continue to make.
“Thank you for choosing to spend your time with our kids in our schools,” Fouche said. “You’re touching many lives in the future when you spend your time here.”
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