<p><br />Beacon Hill Nursery School (BHNS) celebrated its 55th anniversary on<br />Saturday, April 9, at its annual auction, “Toast of the Town”.<br /><br />The event, which took place at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in the Grand<br />Ballroom, was a wonderful celebration of old and new, drawing inspiration<br />for the décor and prizes from an elegant 1950s themed television show. Five<br />parents – Brandi Dean, Nina Farmer, Andra Mattaliano, Allison Poster, and<br />Jenn Stone – served as co-chairs for the event, alongside Micki Rowaan, the<br />school’s development director and Ali Munroe, the Rainbow Room teacher.<br /><br />“This annual auction is our one big social event of the year”, Mattaliano<br />said. “This year we really wanted to tie it in with the schools 55th<br />anniversary to create a celebratory atmosphere to the night”.<br /><br />The money raised during the auction funds the schools operating budget, with<br />additional funds going to financial aid in this year’s paddle raise.<br /><br />During the silent auction, guests could try their luck at the table of “grab<br />bags” and buy raffle tickets for a case of vintage champagne. The evening’s<br />most coveted silent auction prize was an old-fashioned rocking chair<br />engraved with the BHNS logo donated by a family and cookies of the month<br />donated by Lucinda Ross, the school’s executive director. The cookies were<br />part of a table of items put together by the teachers and staff to help fund<br />staff development.<br /><br />Welcoming the 230 guests into the ballroom was the a cappella group, Din &amp;<br />Tonics. The tables, set with orchids in stunning silver pots and a black<br />laminated “55” commemorating the celebration, were illuminated with a<br />brilliant blue light. Once inside, guests were treated to dinner during the<br />live auction, slide shows and dancing.<br /><br />Tom Cusack, a Beacon Hill Nursery grandparent, served as the auctioneer for<br />the event. Dressed in the signature “BHNS Tote Bag,” he had the crowd in<br />stitches as he sang his opening number, a parody of his experiences with the<br />Beacon Hill Nursery tote bag, to the tune of “Red River Valley.” The<br />always-popular tote-bag auction (created by each classroom at the school)<br />was followed by the live auction with a VIP trip to the 2010 Grammy’s in Los<br />Angeles, topping the night off in celebration.</p>
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<p>Beacon Hill Times, April 19, 2011</p>