PEF Announces the Return of the Piedmont Portal

Popular Online Bulletin Board Has Fresh Look and Feel

Heather Meil, Piedmont Education Foundation (PEF) Communications Officer,  put the finishing touches on the new Piedmont Portal this week, relaunching it after a 10-month hiatus. Now hosted on the PiedmontEdFoundation.org website — but still available by visiting PiedmontPortal.org — the Portal features a comprehensive calendar of events and activities for Piedmont’s students and families.

Launched in January 2012 by volunteers Holly Hanke, Mary Ireland, June Monach and Andrea Swenson, the Portal created an online gateway to help Piedmont families stay informed about important school news and announcements and to provide a comprehensive calendar of activities offered by our schools, support organizations and community. Ten years in, the Portal has helped thousands of families to stay informed and up-to-date through the website and popular weekly newsletter.

Last May, when the Portal’s antiquated platform crashed from another update, Meil began looking for a new home for the Portal and quickly settled on the PEF Website. “We have wanted for years to more fully integrate the Portal with PEF, and this gave us that opportunity,” says Meil. She adds, “For us, the most important thing is to provide a useful forum for different groups to share their announcements and events.” This announcement and event submittal process has been streamlined. Buttons on the Portal page lead to a detailed web form where community members and school groups can post information on activities and fundraisers that are relevant to Piedmont.

For its relaunch, the Piedmont Portal is highlighting the City of Piedmont’s Earth Day Scavenger Hunt, the Piedmont Food Fest, Maker Faire, and Spring Fling. Upcoming events include PRD’s Annual Bunny Blast, the Wildwood Crab Feed, and PHS Advanced Acting’s performances of Lord of the Flies. Visit PiedmontEdFoundation.org/connect/piedmont-portal/ for more information or to post an event.