Diana Affalter is so dedicated to volunteering at West Junior High School that she’s willing to repeatedly chaperone student dances.

“Diana is one of those parents that a principal dreams about,” said Mick Lowe, West’s principal.

The Lawrence public school district Thursday celebrated the contributions of Affalter and two dozen other volunteers by presenting these go-to people with 2003 Friends of Education awards.

Each was introduced by a colleague at a reception in Lawrence High School’s cafeteria. Most schools had a single award winner, but Centennial School topped the charts with eight.

Jackie Ferguson and Rosy Elmore were honored as the district’s Friends of Education. They led formation of Citizens for Students, an organization that raised $85,000 to offset student fee increases in the district.

Cal Karlin, selected for his service to Free State High School, said the need for school volunteers likely would increase as the district struggled with budget problems.

“It’s important for my kids and all kids in our community to support our school system,” said Karlin, president of Free State’s site council.

Rosie Robertson, who joined Jeanie Hetrick as honorees from Broken Arrow School, said helping out at the school connected her to the academic world faced by her children.

“It puts me in direct contact with teachers and other students in class,” she said. “By doing that, I feel I know the whole picture.”

Kristie Mullenix, Sunset Hill School’s recipient, devotes each Wednesday to volunteering at the school.

She challenged parents of the district’s 10,000 students to volunteer at least one day each school year at a public school.

“If I can do it every Wednesday, every parent can do it one day,” Mullenix said.