Page 8 - Priorities #33 2006-April

Dozens of parents contribute to the creation of class baskets filled with irresistible “theme” treats, and many Priory friends create special baskets of their own This one, shown off by eighth graders Melanie Wenger and Katie Neckowitz, will provide the winner with many a proper English tea.
magic! A behind-the-scenes tour of the CBS Channel 5 studios in San Francisco includes the opportunity to see Channel 5 News at Five go on the air. A great gift for students, news buffs and technology aficionados.
• Meet the Oakland A’s, tour the TV truck with the media producer, and see the game from
great seats. Just in case someone in the crowd is unaware of your good fortune, your presence will be announced on the scoreboard!
• Oenophiles and just plain lovers of good wine will treasure this case of 2001 Cabernet from Silver Oak Cellars in the Alexander Valley. With
a mix of aromas including cassis, spice box, and lavender, and admirable texture, this wine will be a pleasure to the palate.
• For that super-special occasion like an anniversary, a wedding, or the birth of a grandchild: A bottle of 1982 Dom Perignon Champagne, stored in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. The 1982 vintage was stellar, generously flavored with oak overtones. This opportunity may never come again.
• Pamper yourself or someone you love at the Post Ranch Inn on the cliffs of Big Sur. You will view the ocean and maybe a Hollywood star or two (they are reported to frequent this retreat).
Enjoy the pools, a massage, spa treatment and daily yoga classes in
facilities that blend organically with the surroundings. The restaurant
features award-winning cuisine and amazing views.
• Improve your merrymaking
with Meringue dance lessons with the Priory’s tour-de-force of Latin culture, Spanish teacher José
Mejia-Torres. You or your thespian offspring can get theater tryout coaching from a pro, the Priory’s
own Shakespearean actress-turned- English teacher Kate Dunlop.
A Salute To The Start Of A Great Tradition
A powder blue Lincoln Continental convertible was the “hot ticket” item at “A Night at the Market Place,” held on Nov. 7, 1981 in the campus gymnasium. Another surprise was a seven piece sterling tea set from St. Anselm College, the Priory’s parent abbey. The gift was selected to emphasize the Priory’s silver anniversary being celebrated that year.
Some other crowd-pleasers included a Moroccan dinner for 16, complete with belly dancer, a trip to
a private island residence off Honduras, and—a last-minute coup, hard to get in 1981—a computer from On Line Computer, with two hours of free instruction.
Looking through the press publicity for that 25- years-ago event, a few differences and similarities stand out.
• They had cocktails with “silent and oral auctions” from 5-6:30. We have two live auctions, a Web auction, entertainment, dinner and dancing. • Their tickets were $65 a couple. Ours are $175 for the third year in a row.
• Theirs was organized and produced by the parent club. Our auction committee is officially incorporated separately for legal purposes but is organized and produced by our parent association and parent volunteers.
• They had more than 90 auction items. Last year, our auction had 550 live and silent auction items plus about 150 offered in two online auctions.
• Auctioneer that year was a longtime friend of the Priory, Tom Hennig. This year it’s Head of School Tim Molak.
• Theirs was an event for the whole school community, inclduing alumni, their families, and friends of the school. So is ours today.
The auction’s goal in 1981 was “continued development of the school.” The goal every year since has been just about the same, with some slight changes in wording. Some things about this special event never change; it just gets bigger with time.
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Sleep beneath pansies, orchids, morning glories and many more blossoms on this rambling “English Garden” created by expert quilter Sylvia Pressacco. Fabrics
designed by Kaffe Fassett for Westminster and Rowen in the UK lend even more authenticity. The quilting pattern is an all-over stylized Elizabethan rose pattern. This quilt—Sylvia’s last—was created especially for “As You Like It.”