The student-made Haitian Carnival-inspired masks were on display. Mostly girls ran a booth of face painting, and boys sold Japanese Myachis — a beanbag sort of toy. Students hawked their annual literary magazine. A stall sold cards from student art.
The pièce de résistance was the musical entertainment. Six bands.
There were student bands, The Outsiders, with Ian Dennis and Nicky Young, and Kid Nothing with Jesse Tallerman, Gabe Paiano, Isabella de Fonseca and Emma Stacher.
Guitar teacher Shaun Erriciello and three students executed the dueling guitars from “Deliverance,” along with other all-guitar numbers.
There were adult bands. Salk teacher and violinist Pauline David performed with the assistant principal’s husband, Lucas Rotman, on guitar and Sarah Caswell on vocals with the Melodic Miners, a blues and pop band. Bandleader David Potts of the eponymous straight-ahead jazz quartet, which also performed, is the husband of one of the event’s main teacher organizers, Ling Teo.
Principal Rhonda Perry gave a few introductory words sharing how she was born in Trinidad and the earthquake hit close to home.
“It could have happened there,” she said.
“We have these core values what we believe in, which are important to strive for,” Principal Perry said of the school community. “Passionate and dedicated learning, being open-minded, openhearted, true to oneself, responsible to the community, and taking action to improve the world. We talk a lot about these.
“This fundraiser embodies these values,” she continued. “It is great for so many people to come together for those who continue to suffer. I’m proud of the event and honored to be here.”
After expenses, the event raised $4,300 for The Andrew Grene Foundation, set up by his brother and a friend. The foundation pays tuition for students in primary school and up in Haiti. The foundation is also building a high school in one of the poorest zones in Port-au-Prince, Cité Soleil. It’s hoped the school will be finished by late summer. A portion of the monies raised by the Salk School fundraiser is also going to tsunami relief for Japan.
