|
Haldane Staff Appreciation Party Held At Dockside Harbour Restaurant
by Cecilia Dinio-Durkin
The Haldane School Foundation (HSF) kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5-11) by hosting the First Annual Haldane Staff Social at Dockside last Friday, May 3rd. Invitations went out to every Haldane Central School employee and were extended to the Haldane Board of Education. "Our intention was to make the staff feel appreciated. What better way to feel acknowledged for your efforts than a party?" said HSF board and event committee member, Donna Cotennec.
Forming an event committee comprised of HSF board members, as well as Haldane staff was an important part of the process. "We wanted to make sure there was communication between HSF and the folks at Haldane. Just like our funding, we’re not out to give them something they may or may not want." Said HSF Vice-President and Event Committee Co-Chair, Joe Curto. Along with the HSF event committee, first grade teacher Christine Comerford, high school language department chair Phil D’Amato, and third grade teachers Barbara Jennings and Susan Petroccione voluntarily met after school to give input, finalize plans, spread the word, and later confirm attendance. After getting a preview of the list of donated items for the "Thanks-A-Lot-Lottery" that the staff would be able to win with raffle tickets supplied to them by HSF, Christine said, "Wow! These are such great prizes!"
Not only did merchants, individuals, and organizations thoughtfully select donations with the staff in mind, three anonymous donors stepped forward to foot three-quarters of the bill for the cocktail party. The community came out in full force with the following items as a just a small sampling of the donations given for the Thanks-A-Lot-Lottery; one hour massage and reiki session from Cold Spring’s own Joan Forlow, a beaded bookmark from Payning by Caryn, books from Salmagundi, Common Threads, and Jean Marzollo, bottles of wine from Highland Liquors and Yannitelli Wine Merchants, gift certificates from Archipelago, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, and The Paint Box, a cooler full of barbecue essentials complete with a tank of propane from Synergy gas, and a kayak ride for two from The Bike Shop. The educational prizes for Haldane classroom use included a live animal presentation from local falconer Peter Durkin, a HSF Innovation Grant, and a river exploration with the Riverkeeper organization.
Celia Thomas who helped to gather items for the goodie bags approached local merchants timidly. "They are constantly being asked to give donations and so I tried not to ask for too much." Said Celia. "But once they found out what the donations were for, they were happy to give." Hudson Valley Outfitters owner Teri Barr said, "My son is a 1st grader at Haldane and I appreciate the care and attention he receives from the teachers and staff." To show her thanks, Teri gave a coupon for 10% off at her store. The goodie bags were filled with coupons from Henry’s for a free glass of wine or beer, Cold Spring Depot for a free hot fudge sundae, Cold Spring Pizza for a cup of coffee, and O’Golden Bread Bakery for a choice of muffins or buns. The Country Goose gave tea and Philipstown Market gave an apple, not just for the teachers, but the entire staff.
The Haldane Staff Social was blown indoors due to the high winds that may have damaged the tent but not the spirit of the day. As high school music teacher Mike Klubnick and John Teagle donated their musical talents to the party, over 100 of Haldane’s staff joined in the celebration. At one point, elementary school principal Maggie Davis sang with "the band," retiring sixth grade teacher Fran Dawson was mildly roasted by her peers, Superintendant Dr. Di Natale got a basket of wine and jokingly invited everyone to his house for a pasta dinner! As goodie bags and Philipstown Market apples were handed out, kindergarten teacher Betsy Rasa coined the one phrase that summed up what the guests were feeling and captured the sentiments the organizers and donors hoped to achieve, "I can’t believe you did all of this for us!"
| Click ads below
for larger version
|
