With clear blue skies, sunny and 70s, the weather was perfect and spirits were high October 18th-20th for Buckley’s 51st annual homecoming—the Fall Fair!
Our sincere thanks go out to the parents, faculty, staff, and friends of Buckley who so generously contributed to the 2024 Fall Fair. Your gifts of time and resources to our school are deeply appreciated.
View still photos from the 360 Photo Booth here\
Thank you to Nikki Dabissiere and Vicky Dabissiere for overseeing the decoration of the inside of the building with beautiful Buckley family pennants and to Yuki Sugiyama and Arianne Long for coordinating this year’s coveted class creations.
Thank you to all the parents who cooked, baked, and brought food to Buckley. We had African, Caribbean, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Japanese, and Native American cuisines, grilled-to-perfection burgers and hot dogs, a delicious array of baked goods, cotton candy, and bubble tea.
View Photos from the Fall Fair - Day 2 (Sunday) hereThank you to all the volunteers who gave of their time before, during, and after Fall Fair weekend. The Fair would not happen without the work of our Buckley volunteers.
We also thank all the Committee Chairs whose work and enthusiasm contributed to the success of the Fair: Golden Ticket: Robert Liebross; Advanced Ticket Sales: Maureen Abdel-Misih; Ticket Sales: Greta Arenas and Suzanne Chan; Class Baskets: Jennifer Bradish Kernan and Allison Weitz, and all the Class Parents; Wine Toss: Reshma McGowan and Evrod Sonson; Bake Booth: Marion Elliott and Sonya Javian; Buckley Store: Mercedes Alagna; International Food Tent: Naima Akesbi, Bessie and Aris Georgelis, Minerva John-Stull, Arianne Long, Tarina Min, Natalie Moore-Lopez '98, Angela Oduro, Juliet Orr, Michael Piedmont, Crystal Schwartz, Caterina Skenderi, Yuki Sugiyama, and Jinyu Yuan; Grill: Bill Chillianis and Tom Yee; Children's Arts & Crafts: Adrienne Murphy and Kelli Singleton; Sports Challenge: Christine Barnett, Ylana Holtz, and Reshma McGowan; Grandparents and Past Parents: Susan Camerata and Jamie Pistilli; Volunteers: Helen Rallakis.
It was a beautiful Sunday morning in the Courtyard where alumni and parents of Buckley grads gathered for the Tea-with-Teachers reunion. We were joined by faculty members including Alana Gamber, Maureen Miseo, Roger Persaud, Sue Rodriguez-McLean, Stefani Rosenthal, and Patricia Russac. It was a delight to welcome back several members of the Class of 2024, along with alumni in high school, college, and beyond, plus a number of parents of alumni.
The net revenue for this year’s Fair was an outstanding $240,000. The proceeds will be used as part of our operating budget to fund programs, professional development, and facility improvements. Thank you to the entire Buckley community for their unwavering support of our school, for their donations to the silent and live auctions and their generous bidding, their gifts to the class baskets and food tent, and their underwriting and general donations to help reduce our overhead and maximize our revenue.
Thank you to Holly O'Brien and Suzanne Bossé for their indefatigable Buckley spirit, inexhaustible enthusiasm, and organization. They have our enduring gratitude.
Thank you as well to the amazing staff in the Business Office: Colleen Crowley, Sara Sweeney, Arline Frangos, and CFO Dan Schultz. Thank you to our Director of Facilities and Security Rick Foy, our dedicated maintenance crew, Matt Gangone, Noel Morales, Brendon Shunk, and all other Fair maintenance workers, and Security Officers Ronnie Stibritz, Rick Tully, and Matt Whelan for ensuring everyone’s safety.
Thank you to IT Director Sam Oppedisano and Assistant Director Kyle Oppedisano for keeping us all connected, and photographer Stephanie Long for capturing every moment of the Fair.
Finally, a very, very special thank you from all of us to PA President Sara Vassos and PA Vice President Helen Rallakis (AND to their families!) for their extraordinary “roll up your sleeves and get the job done” understated leadership, their stamina, and their inspiring school spirit. It was a job very well done, and we can't wait to see what they have in store for us next year!