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Reminder Assistant Editor EAST LONGMEADOW The town's Caribbean Festival this past summer was a success a $22,000 success, the proceeds of which are now being shared between all five schools of the East Longmeadow school district. The high school received a check for $2,000 and Mapleshade Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, Meadowbrook Elementary and Birchland Park Middle School each received $5,000 checks from the Caribbean Festival's chairman, Chris Graziano of Graziano Gardens. The donations were presented to the presidents of each of the school's Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTO) last Wednesday. "Our second annual Caribbean Festival was a wonderful event," Ed Costa, East Longmeadow Public Schools superintendent, said. "It's a family event, and that's the success of it." Costa added that if Graziano is the mastermind of the festival, the PTO served as the backbone. "The bottom line is students win," he said. Graziano said the festival raised $18,000 in its first year and that he hoped more would be raised this year, but inclement weather hampered things. He added that he believed the festival could make up to $40,000. The presidents and representatives of the various PTO groups are happy with what was raised this year, though. "This was Birchland's first year participating in the festival and we were tremendously impressed," Lori Lajoie, president of the middle school PTO, stated. "We're looking forward to next year." "[The festival] is a great introduction for the new school-going families in town, especially those starting at Meadowbrook," school PTO President Heidi Vedovelli said. "It's so much better than having each school stay individualized." Members of the PTO and faculty from each school volunteered to make the festival the success it was. Costa said Carolyn Wallace, principal of Mountain View Elementary, was "the resident dunk tank queen," Kathleen Hill and Wayne Wilson, principals of Birchland Park and Mapleshade, respectively, were in charge of the buns, high school principal Richard Freccero was the ultimate short order cook and Bob Mazzariello, School Committee chair, served as the "quality control manager." "We really want to thank Chris [Graziano] and all the various businesses that participated in the festival," Mazzariello said. Kris Kirwan, president of the Mountain View PTO, presented Graziano with a gift for all his hard work. "We'll be meeting with parents Dec. 5 to talk about what to do with the money," Michele Martinelli, president of the Mapleshade PTO, said. "We're thinking of using the money for new whiteboards in the classrooms, maybe new TVs, new supplies and to fund enrichment programs." Kirwan added the donations could also be used to fund field trips for students. "We're really working together now," Martinelli said. "We're one town, one school." | ||||||
