Former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton may have said it best: "We now live in a world where it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights separate from human rights." It is this resolute spirit that continues women's efforts for equal pay and equal treatment. But a woman doesn't have to be a national or state figure to make a difference.

With National Women's History month winding down, Willow Glen citizens may not be aware that many of these unsung heroes live right in their community. And one bond a number of these women have is their concern for quality education and their tireless efforts to make their local schools the best they can be.

Judy O'Shaughnessy stood on the "sidelines" as an occasional volunteer at Willow Glen Middle School until she decided that she could contribute positively to the Cottle Avenue campus.

"I felt like I could encourage and motivate people," she says. "It was either play or sit on the sidelines and watch. I wanted to affect change and direction."

O'Shaughnessy is the school's PTA president, a title she never expected, especially since she is balancing her time at the middle school with a full-time sales job at Kelly Moore Paint Company. And she never imagined she would assume this role during a difficult budget crisis in San Jose Unified School District, which involved the option of middle school elective course cutbacks and the resignation of school principal Darla Briggs.

"We've had all these awful obstacles," she says. "But we have a good team on the PTA board, and it has been extremely rewarding to work together."

O'Shaughnessy, 43, says the middle school level can be daunting for many parents who have steadily volunteered while their child was in elementary school. From elementary to middle school, parent participation dramatically drops, because some worry that they can no longer help out in the classroom, and the number of teachers and classes students visit throughout the day becomes daunting to some parents. O'Shaughnessy is trying to alleviate parents' nervousness and also wants to break down misconceptions about the school, such as those about the prevalence of student fights and heavy gang activity on campus. She quickly dismisses the rumor of gang activity, because she believes the youth who are in gangs leave that activity in their neighborhoods.

And the greater the parent involvement, the less likelihood that problem will erupt.

"Volunteering strengthens the school community and can save the school a ton of money," she says. "I used to view the school as a fixer-upper, and I know some saw it as a dump, but it isn't. I hope more people will embrace their neighborhood school."

She is proud that Willow Glen Middle School has a flourishing sports program, one of only two in the school district, and a growing music program. She says parents who volunteer at the school will quickly see the results of these programs.

"Spending so much time at the school has given me a better flavor of the community," she says. "I know the current and incoming superintendents and work with the principal."

But she isn't trying to sugarcoat the middle school experience. She understands the pressures that youth face every day on campus, like drugs and the curveballs they get thrown while dealing with puberty.

"The influence of drugs is still there—I'd be an idiot to think otherwise; it's at every school," she says. "But it's good to be informed and know who your kid's friends are at school and their parents.

One of the reasons she became a PTA member and president was her admiration for those who served before her. She also wants her sixth-grade daughter, Lauren, to witness the importance of volunteerism and of becoming a leader in her own way.

"She thinks it is fabulous that I'm the PTA president," O'Shaughnessy says. "She can look at me in this leadership role and be confident to attain that as well."

Recently, O'Shaughnessy was shocked to learn how far her dedication and energy to the school has stretched, when she discovered that she was nominated for a volunteer recognition award from the Junior League of San Jose.

Her voice becomes raspy and a little choked up as she describes her reaction to this honor.

"I am just blown away that my friends thought I was deserving of this recognition," she says. "I was stunned when I received the letter from the Junior League."

And she is not the only one who has put her energy into improving public education. Booksin Elementary School Community Association President Melinda Gedryn was also nominated and will receive the volunteer recognition award from the Junior League.

She had a similar reaction to O'Shaughnessy's about being nominated—a little shocked and embarrassed—but she appreciates the fact that fellow member Michele Holback nominated her for the award.

Gedryn, 38, has two daughters at Willow Glen Middle School and a fifth-grade son at Booksin. She made a pact with her husband when they moved back to Willow Glen in 1999 that he would work and she would be involved in the community.

Before she joined the parent-teacher organization, she had heard it was quite effective, and her suppositions about the school's parent support turned out to be true.

Through its annual fundraising efforts, Booksin is able to hire a music teacher and offer a robust music program, hire a computer consultant, buy educational materials and fund field trips.

"We raised $105,000 at last year's walkathon," she says. "We had 95 percent participation. This shows we can make such a big impact with funds raised for the school."

Gedryn spends nearly 20 hours a week volunteering at the school, which includes teaching a few physical education classes. She doesn't see her husband as much as she'd like, but she is adamant about maintaining the level of commitment and volunteerism already at Booksin.

"We don't want to go backwards," Gedryn says.

Like O'Shaughnessy, she didn't picture herself as president of the school's parent-teacher association. She wouldn't describe herself as a natural-born leader but admits she has a "big mouth" and thought she would just pop in and out at Booksin to help where she could. And, there was her phobia about public speaking. She had to force herself, wobbly knees and all, to stand in front of parents and students to inspire and motivate. Now, after conquering her fear, she is comfortable speaking in front of crowds. She says people have a hard time getting the microphone out of her hand.

"It really takes a lot of parents, many of them behind the scenes, who are at the school almost daily helping teachers," she says. "They are making photocopies, helping in classrooms, quietly working to make things work better at Booksin."

Gedryn is quick to deflect any praise she receives onto the countless parents who also volunteer at the school. She's made some of her best friends while working alongside parents at Booksin and also at Willow Glen Middle School as her daughters moved into the next tier of their educational life. She concurs with O'Shaughnessy that the middle school has changed more than people realize, with the music, drama and sports programs "really coming together."

"Kids there are having a good time, and they are happy," she says. "More elementary school kids are seeing what is available there."

Willow Glen resident Pam English, who is right next door to the middle school, is president of the Willow Glen Middle and High School Foundation. This three-year-old program, which pays for career guidance counselors each school year, is driving more and more youth to apply to college. English says the foundation also organizes a career fair at the high school, with more than 60 careers to visit, and helps to financially support after-school sports.

"If you don't have sports, many kids aren't that interested in coming to school," English says.

English, a food scientist, gives her extra time to the foundation because "I want the best for my kids and the community."

When volunteers at the school see their friends' children frequently, oftentimes they might recognize or spot a problem that might otherwise go unnoticed, English says.

Years ago, when her son Steven left Booksin for Willow Glen Middle, he didn't want to see her at school, but she stresses that middle school is the time when youth are most vulnerable to drugs and gangs.

Since 2000, English says, the nonprofit foundation has raised $127,000, all of which has gone back to the schools, excluding printing-material costs.

English describes herself as a "volunteer-oriented person" and says she learned many important lessons from her mother, like never showing disappointment and raising herself and her brother to the best of her ability.

"I want to give my children the same opportunities to be who they are," she says, talking about 17-year-old Kimberly and 21-year-old Steven. "We try to support all the programs that could not be supported by the district. It is always inspiring to see all the parents who get involved."

And she hopes like her counterparts O'Shaughnessy and Gedryn that other unsung heroes will step up and test the public-school waters, discovering that their energy and effort is vital to making a positive impact in local schools now and in the future.