Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat School

This post comes from Catherine Taylor. Formerly involved with HAHA and serving as the Alumnae President for the last term, she is now equally as busy in her new capacity as chair of the Gala’s Committee. Catherine takes a minute to introduce the excitment of the Gala, Hawthorn’s biggest party of the year, here.

This year’s Hawthorn Gala has a Roaring 20s theme, which is ab-so-lute-ly fitting as Hawthorn enters its own 20s. Believe it or not, it was the first theme idea that came up – the gala committee fell in love with the idea and we haven’t looked back since! If you’ve never been before, this is the school’s biggest fundraising event of the year. It is a great opportunity to mingle Cheek to Cheek with friends and family of the school at a fun-filled evening of music, fashion, dancing, and giving back to Hawthorn.

We have fabulous entertainment planned – the live musical stylings of the Taylor Boys during cocktail hour, a dancing show and lesson from performance professionals and of course, a live band singing and dancing the night away. You can expect a dizzying array of Silent Auction items – ranging from children’s toys to art and home decor; from sporting equipment to fine wines; from jewelry to electronics. In fact, you’ll be so blown away by the evening we have planned for you; you’ll feel like Singin’ in the Rain!

Here’s the key information you need to know:

Date: May 8, 2010
Time: Cocktails @ 6:30 pm
Location: Granite Club, 2350 Bayview Ave.

Prices
Regular: $175 per ticket
Early Bird: $150 per ticket (available until Mar. 31)
Students/Staff: $125 per ticket

So, ladies dust off your pearls and feathers; gentlemen, break out your fedoras and get ready to Charleston into the wee hours of the morning. Don’t worry if you don’t have your own flapper dress or morning suit to wear – we’ll have a few things to help you stay in the Roaring 20s spirit!! Cheers, and we’ll see you in Apple Blossom Time!

Class of ‘09 Update

By Virlana Shchuka

Hello, fellow alumnae! On behalf of the graduating class of 2009, I am happy to report that we are all faring well during the first year at our respective universities and colleges. Theresa Jalsevac, of Christendom College, is eagerly preparing for the annual March for Life in Washington with her schoolmates. Martina Greco, of Laurentian University, has attained the position of co-captain of her soccer team, and will no doubt lead her league to many victories. Angelica D’Souza, of Geneva University, is enjoying her studies in Switzerland especially since, she informs me, she has a great view of cows coming down a hill from her room window. Chelsea Gibbs, of the University of Toronto, is deeply involved in both her school and her extra-curricular activities; she is pursuing a degree in Women Studies while still enriching herself in her dance and athletic activities. In addition to nurturing her love for photography, Megan Cowie, of Mount Allison University, has partaken in many creative shenanigans (mattress-flipping, to name one). Rachel Leung is thriving at the University of Western Ontario, where she has recently attacked some difficult philosophy questions and valiantly stood up for the authenticity of religion during one of her tutorials. Victoria Huryn, of the University of Toronto, is particularly having fun in her Italian course. What’s that now, Victoria . . . five, six languages you know now? Julia Pedota, also at the University of Toronto, has taken a risk and dyed her hair blue…okay, a big streak of her hair she has dyed blue . . . and it looks great! Joanna Weilgosz, of the University of Guelph, is (unsurprisingly) excelling at her first year of Biomedical Science, but has reported that she despises the optics problems in her physics course. Palestrina McCaffrey is rapidly and radiantly expanding her portfolio at George Brown College, which includes some masterpieces that will no doubt be worth millions one day. I’ll see you at one of those ritzy auctions in the future, Pal! Safina Allidina, of the University of Toronto, really aims for the best in both worlds as she combines her appreciation for science with her love of music and classical studies. And last, but certainly not least, Michaela Lee, of the University of Western Ontario, is excelling at her studies in business and still wearing pink as much as ever! This has been a very exciting first semester, which has ended with a graduate get-together before Christmastime. We are very fortunate to have been blessed with the friendships of one another, and we look forward to meeting again very soon.

Treasurer’s Report

I’m pleased to announce that the alumnae raised $560 for Hawthorn’s Annual Fund at the Christmas dinner!
We’d like to encourage alumnae who haven’t donated to the annual fund yet to do so, if they can. It’s a great way to support the school, and even a small donation helps.

Building a Tradition, Together: A new look at the Annual Fund

This post comes from Steve Rebello, whom currently co-chair’s Hawthorn’s Annual Fundraising Efforts with his wife, Liz. Three of their 9 children currently attend the school. Steve and Liz are expecting their 10th child later in 2010. While HAHA wishes him all the congratulations to his family, Steve managed to find some time for the HAHA blog to share with us what’s new with the Annual Fund.

I want to start by saying that I am honoured to write a blog post for HAHA. This will be a first for me. All that means is that I am feeling my age. Most of you will know me by name, as most of my family (the girls of course) have attended HSG at one time or another. My daughters (currently 3) are enrolled in grades 7, 6 and 4.

For our family HSG has truly become a “tradition.”

I am writing this for a few reasons, not the least of which is to offer you the opportunity to support your alma mater. This year more than ever, as it marks the 20th Anniversary of Hawthorn, we are asking for your support of the Annual Fund Campaign.

For your information the annual fund money goes to 3 categories: building fund, scholarships and bursaries, school’s greatest needs.

Right now the scholarships/bursary part of the annual fund is small, so it is invested to grow so as to generate a regular annual amount that could be awarded as scholarships.

The building fund is basically for phase 2 (the re building of the Upper School), but can be used for other needs. For instance, the roof repair came from this fund.

The rest, which is generally under “school’s greatest needs”, is saved for the future.

This year’s Annual Fund theme, “Building a Tradition, Together”, has been selected to encourage participation from all members of our community. This is especially important for the alumnae, as they understand better than most that dreams can come true. You are the ones who lived the journey from the early days at St. Aidan’s. What a difference 20 years makes! We all have to dream the dreams so that they can come true.

I want also to talk about how much is enough in terms of a donation. For some, you are more concerned with paying off a student loan or saving money for a place all your own but I am sure that all of you donate to some sort of charity in one form or another. I would encourage you to think seriously of considering that Annual Fund as a charity that you support. It is something that does really have an impact in the community at large. You are all living proof of this!

Every contribution is important, no matter the amount. Another way to think about it is the amount of your monthly cell phone bill. Maybe I should say the monthly electronic device bill as it covers more ground! Consider giving an equal amount. More is better if you are able, of course!

Feel free to also donate your time and effort, as both are very much needed and appreciated.

I would guess that anyone of you who has been back to school helping out in one way or another has received a real deep sense of satisfaction, knowing that you are able to help produce the atmosphere and carry on the tradition that has made at least a small part of you who you are!

If you have any questions about donating, there are various ways to donate. Cheques can be made out to “Hawthorn School for Girls Foundation.” Donations made to the Annual Fund are tax deductible!

Please help build this tradition by planning to attend and support our fundraising events and to make a charitable contribution in the 2009-2010 school year.

Spotlight on: Your new SOCO, Liz Taylor!

Hello Hawthorn Alumnae!

If you don’t know me, if we lost touch, or if you only saw me at only one alumnae function before this year, then you might wonder why I accepted a nomination for Social Coordinator. My name is Liz Taylor and I graduated from Hawthorn in 2002. Since then, I completed a BA in Classics at the University of New Brunswick, taught English in South Korea, traveled and am currently in my first year of Nursing at Ryerson.

Now that I’m in Toronto for at least 4 years, I’m staying busy with school, running, meeting new people, reconnecting with friends and coming up with as many ideas as possible for alumnae events. We’re hoping to introduce some new events over the next couple years and maintain the current ones. If you have any ideas, questions or comments, please email me at e.am.taylor@gmail.com.

Happy New Year!

On behalf of the alumnae committee, I just wanted to wish everyone all the best for 2010!

In the upcoming week on the blog, don’t miss: Council profiles, event updates, and more of which I’ll leave to the actual stories.

Look forward to your readership then!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and a happy holiday to all of the alumnae of Hawthorn School for girls!!! It was a great year for the alumnae, with 2009 seeing a number of HAHA milestones, all coming together with our annual Christmas Dinner shown here on Monday night at the school!

In January, we kicked off the year with our first ever fundraiser for Hawthorn Athletics, co-hosting with Spirale Banquet Hall an induction ceremony celebrating specific individuals that have helped build the Hawthorn Athletics program, as well as presenting the department with a donation from the alumnae. The gala came after that, and alumnae, headed by Catherine Taylor, Sophia Hygenius, among others, helped to create a magical evening for the school at the Granite club. In June we saw the biggest graduating class Hawthorn has yet to see, followed by a number of social events brought to you by HAHA to build the spirit of the alumnae. 2009 was also an election year, in which we thanked Catherine Taylor, Justine Sousa, and Catherine Rebello for their work on the council, and we brought in Seanna Magee, Neena Allidina, Liz Taylor and Laila Hulbert as part of the new council, with Mary Catherine Magee most recently agreeing to join us in a fundraising aid capacity. The year also saw marriages, babies and engagements, including but not exclusive to Jacquie Nivet(marriage & pregnant), Kristin Zulianello(marriage), Christen Jalsevac (kid), Tess O’Mara (kid), Nathalie Hlebanja (kid, marriage), Samantha Singson (engagement) and a number of others!

Here’s to a fantastic holiday season!

Why should you go see the Hawthorn Play this weekend?

This weekend, Hawthorn’s Upper School puts together its annual play, The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge. HAHA insiders got a sneak peek at rehearsal this week, and went directly to the actresses, allowing them to tell you why you should see the play this year …

“It’s a Christmas Play!”
Stage Manager Sarah Rebello mentions about her show.

“It brings drama to a whole new level”
Actress encourages all to see the show, this weekend, at the school.

“It’s really funny!”
Technical Crew Member takes a minute to talk about the play, barely containing herself.

There you have it:
Support the school, be entertained, and re-visit all those that you don’t see enough.

Showtime Information:

Friday December 11th and Saturday December 12th
7:30pm

Sunday December 13th
2:30 pm

Please phone the school for further information @ (416) 444-3054!

Christmas Party!

The annual HAHA Christmas party is coming up soon. It’s going to be an exciting event, with raffles, prizes, music, food and possibly even live entertainment! Here’s everything you need to know:
Who: Alumnae, and their family and friends
When: December 21st, 6 to 11 pm
Where: Hawthorn School For Girls
What to bring: It’s a potluck, so bring food! If you’re not sure what to bring, ask Liz and she’ll let you know what we need.
Dress code: Festive! Get out your santa hats; there may even be a prize for the most fesitvely dressed alumna…
RSVP: To Liz (e.am.taylor@gmail.com), by Dec 16th please!
Hope to see you all there!

Proud parents Nathalie Beltran (Class of 2003) and Diogo Beltran welcome to the world Manuela Hlebanja-Beltran!

Over the course of this blog, some of the stories that we hope to bring to you are snapshots and profiles of where the Hawthorn Alumnae are now. This piece comes shortly after a trip down to Brazil that I took, where Nathalie and her husband showed all the best that Sao Paolo has to offer!

In one year’s time, Nathalie has seen a few major events occur in her life. Firstly, she moved to the Southern Hemisphere, to the ever-expanding metropolis of Sao Paulo.

Sao Paulo is vast, with a population of about 18 million people. Originally a city where explorers expedition’s would be set off, it soon discovered its ability to produce coffee, perhaps some of the world’s best, and from that point saw immigration start from all over the world. More recently, Brazil has been lauded for its growing economy, in a time where the rest of the world is still shaky after the recent recession. Nathalie’s family is originally came over from Slovenia 2 generations ago, and she still has a number of relatives in both Brazil and Slovenia.

The next major event for Nathalie was Diogo. They were engaged last year, and were married in Brazil last summer. Congratulations go to the happy couple, and to both their families as well.

And most recently, the birth of Manuela, the adorably beautiful first daughter of Nathalie and Diogo.

Let us congratulate them on their baby, and hope we see them at the upcoming Christmas Dinner on the 21st!