It is with the heaviest of hearts that we inform the Houston school community of the sudden and unexpected passing of one of our beloved members and leaders, Lauren Wiley, mom to 5th grader Elliot and HSA co-president. 

 

As a parent with 15 years of experience in School District of Philadelphia schools and as a journalist who spent years covering news out of Philly public schools, Lauren brought a wealth of district knowledge to her work at Houston. She was an active member of the HSA board at Jenks when her older son, Ben, attended, and an engaged parent when Ben attended high school at Carver. At Houston, Lauren was Houston’s HSA co-president for the past two years, a member of the board since 2022, and an active member of the HSA since Elliot started kindergarten at Houston in 2019. 

 

Lauren had a hand in everything the Houston HSA has done over the past six years, and was an integral part of building its capacity to what it is today.  In her roles both as its co-president and as a parent at the school, Lauren embodied the Power of 3. She was a do-er, always willing to step in and get things done. She helped with classroom setups and clean outs; she wrote and edited newsletters and other HSA communications; she wrote grant applications and made sure teachers new about opportunities for grant funding for their classrooms; she helped teachers get much needed supplies; she advocated on many topics at the district level including to end leveling and get algebra in every 8th grade classroom; she helped clean out and refresh Houston’s library; she went to businesses to get donations to help support the school and the HSA. If the school needed supplies or a parent needed support, Lauren found a way to make it happen. Just this past week, after learning teachers were low on supplies, she ordered a case of paper to be delivered to the school and organized a trip to Costco for tissues and cleaning wipes. If there was an event at Houston, Lauren, her husband Jason, and their son Elliot were there. Lauren was behind the scenes making things happen each and every day, and did it all without fanfare or accolades. She did it because she loved her community and her city. 

 

Driven by this commitment to community, she started the annual Spring Fling at the school, and has spearheaded the entire effort for the past 3 years. For Lauren, the purpose of the Spring Fling was to build community and to give all Houston students and their families a space to have fun together. She worked hard to raise enough funds from local businesses to keep it free for all, and, after two years of heavy rain on the day of the event, she frequently joked that maybe this year we’d finally have a sunny day.

 

Lauren’s laugh and spirit were contagious. Along with all of her accomplishments, she was a friend to every Houston parent she crossed paths with, providing support and guidance on the challenges of parenting and in life in general. On the HSA Board, she was an exceptional leader and dear friend; she will be deeply missed and never replaced.

 

The entire Houston community extends our condolences and support to Lauren’s family and friends, but especially to Jason, Ben and Elliot. She gave so much of herself to our school and to our community, but above all she loved them fiercely. Any conversation with Lauren included an update on how Ben and Elliot were doing. There was never a prouder mom; her boys were her whole world.

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Learn more about Lauren and her inspiring impact on the community in The Philadelphia Inquirer.​​