The Arizona Daily Star is joining other Tucson media outlets to sponsor the town hall, at 6:45 p.m. at the University of Arizona Modern Languages Building auditorium, near East Second Avenue and North Cherry Avenue.

The event
will be moderated by Boston Globe newspaper
editorial columnist Tom Oliphant, who also contributes regularly to The News Hour on PBS, Channel 6, in Tucson. The political columnist is based in Washington, D.C., but keeps a house in Tucson.

Three panel discussions will focus on parent, teacher and student involvement in education. Speakers will talk about what's needed and what works to improve schools.

So take your questions, comments and hints on how to help and get involved.

Here are the panelists:

Parent involvement:

Biker bars and PTA meetings are usually an unlikely pairing, unless you're Bill Stapleton.

Stapleton, owner of The Bashful Bandit bar on East Speedway just west of Alvernon, is president of the Sabino High School Parent Teacher Student Association.

A former accountant, Stapleton said he wanted to be involved in the activities of his two youngest children, Joe, 17, and Jessica, 16, to be more a part of their lives than he was with the four children from his first marriage.

Kids grow up too fast for him to be stuck in an office, he said.

Stapleton said owning a bar gives him the flexibility to be at school and sporting events that he lacked while working as a controller for hotels such as Loews Ventana Canyon and the Beverly Hills Wilshire.

When he quit his job with Loews in 1990, Stapleton got involved in school and sporting events. He shows up at practices and games. Son Joe is a varsity football player and daughter Jessica is a varsity cheerleader.

He also takes several weeks a year to motorcycle the family across the country, visiting historical locations in 48 states so far, all but Minnesota and Hawaii.

Stapleton said he can't say for sure that his involvement made a huge difference in his kids' success, but both teens are honors students, athletes and college-bound.

During his time with Sabino's PTSA, the group has raised money for a public address system for the marching band, computers and a bar coding system for tracking school books.

Stapleton maintains his community involvement outside the campus as well. Since April the bar has scheduled more than two dozen charity events, raising money for groups such as the Salvation Army, Breast Cancer Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Also on the parent involvement panel:

* Diana Boros, parent volunteer in Amphitheater Public Schools for 10 years, member of the Canyon del Oro High School site council, neighborhood activist, mother of three.

* Hugh McLaughlin, Arizona State PTA, chairman of parental involvement committee for Arizona State PTA, Soleng Tom Elementary PTA, father of four.

* Rocco Sugameli, principal, Butterfield Elementary School in Marana; previously: associate principal and teacher at Tortolita Middle School, teacher at Marana Middle School.

Teacher involvement

When social studies teacher Steve Olguin wanted student council members to learn more about government, he raised money to take them to Washington, D.C.

He has continued to do so each year since 1995, expanding the pupils eligible for the trip to now include any student at Apollo Middle School, 265 W. Nebraska St.

He also takes them on annual trips to Phoenix to see the Legislature at work.

"Real-life experiences go a long way toward teaching children," Olguin said.

He said the trips are too often the first time some of the students at the middle school travel outside the state or even the city.

Last year, nine students went to Washington, at a cost of $1,200 apiece.

To pay for the trip, the students hold several fund-raisers, such as bake sales. Olguin also solicits sponsorship from businesses around the South Side school.

Olguin does not limit his involvement to student government. He has coached soccer, basketball, volleyball, track, and volunteers to run the scoreboard at Apollo basketball games.

Olguin also serves as superintendent of the middle school department at Tucson Baptist Temple, 1525 S. Columbus Blvd. There he works with a staff of about 12 adults and up to 100 students in Sunday Bible study.

Also on the teacher involvement panel:

* John Pedicone, superintendent, Flowing Wells Unified School District; adjunct professor at the University of Arizona College of Education; He previously was a teacher, administrator at junior high and high school levels.

* Claudia Jensen, kindergarten teacher, Butterfield Elementary School; previously taught fourth grade at Butterfield, taught music in Germany at Department of Defense schools.

* Marilyn Freed, president, Tucson Education Association; previously taught in Tucson Unified School District since 1971.

* Tom Good, professor, UA College of Education, Department of educational psychology; working on grant from U.S. Department of Education to study education in schools that serve students primarily living in poverty. Previously was on the faculty at the University of Texas and the University of Missouri.

Student involvement:

Jessica White, 16, inherited her inclination to get involved from her parents, Shari and Doug White.

"My dad is just one of those people who really just likes to help people," she said. "He does a lot of volunteer work.

"My mom would drive for school field trips and help out with bake sales."

White works on the Canyon del Oro High School newspaper, The Palantir, where she writes and edits.

White also volunteers with her dad, helping out with Pan-Asian Community Alliance luncheons.

Outside involvement helps her stay energized at school, she said. "It exposes me to a lot of different cultures and ways of believing things," White said.

* Pam Cory, student, Pima Community College; graduated from Cholla High School in 2000, where she was active on the multicultural team.

* Contact Hipolito R. Corella at 573-4191 or at corella@azstarnet.com.
* Contact Sarah Garrecht Gassen at 573-4117 or at sgassen@azstarnet.com.