Betty Lou Fox has been volunteering at her son Neil's schools since he was in kindergarten. Next year, Neil will move to Staunton River High School and Fox will move with him to offer volunteer services for prom and graduation planning, or anything else the school needs.

"It's a good way for parents to know what's going on with an age group," said Fox, a Moneta resident, "and to be in the know with what's going on in the school."

Volunteering at Bedford County schools through the years, Fox said she's noticed a downward trend in volunteers as children move into higher schools.

"A lot of parents volunteer in elementary school," she said. "When the kids hit middle school, they feel like they're not needed anymore."

But Fox pointed out that the volunteers may be needed more in the upper grades. As students get older, they have more papers, quizzes and tests. That means teachers need more photocopies made each week. Volunteers who can do these simple, everyday activities are not only needed, but appreciated, said Fox.

When Neil started sixth grade at Staunton River Middle School, Fox said there were few volunteers. She became the school's volunteer coordinator and worked to recruit parents, grandparents and other people in the community.

"We have greatly increased," said Fox. "It's more than doubled in the last three years."

There are a multitude of responsibilities volunteers can sign up for at the county schools. People are needed to guide school visitors, assist with nurse screenings, help with fundraisers and help manage activities such as book fairs and The Reality Store.

"Then we have our everyday kind of volunteer," said Fox. "Copying, laminating, doing bulletin boards ... anything the teachers want you to do, basically."

Staunton River Middle School currently has 55 to 60 volunteers, including mentors who spend time with students twice a month during lunch breaks.

"The kids absolutely love it," said Sally Baum, director of guidance. "The volunteers don't think they're contributing a lot, but the kids always ask when their mentor is coming."

Most kids in the mentoring program are at-risk and have been recommended to the program by parents or teachers. Baum said the school or Big Brother/Big Sister program attempts to pair students with mentors who have similar personalities.

"It really does work out well," she said. "Just to see them together, smiling, is worth it."

Community members with specific interests can volunteer to advise a school club, such as Odyssey of the Mind or Math Counts. John McCallum, seventh-grade math teacher, said all clubs need a volunteer and teacher to advise the students.

"We'd like to have some more extracurricular clubs," he said. "We would like to have them, but we need volunteers."

Fox said volunteers do not have to commit to a certain number of hours or a certain time. The job is flexible.

"There's no schedule really," she said. "If you can't come one day, don't feel bad about it ... anything is appreciated."

As Fox and other parents move to Staunton River High School next year to volunteer, outgoing middle school principal Linwood Robertson said he hopes other parents will step up to lend a hand.

"They're important to us," he said. "Something that the community doesn't always understand is that we want them to be here."

Robertson said even though middle schoolers may say they don't want their parents involved with the school, parents should remember that their kids probably won't even know they're in the school.

"When the kids say, 'Don't come, Mom,' come anyway," he said.