FIRST UP on GMW is an occasional column that highlights shorter announcements or updates, and helps you get a quick start to the Wilton news of the day. Have a news tip, item or something you know people are chatting about? Email us at editor@goodmorningwilton.com.
WHS Theater Arts Association to Hold First-Ever Project Prom Fundraiser
The Wilton High School Theater Arts Association is hosting its first-ever Project Prom Fundraiser Shopping Event. Wiltonians and other area residents have generously donated their formal wear; since early March, more than 150 items have been collected. Now those gently used (and some new with tags) dresses, cocktail and formal separates, tuxedos, bags, shoes, and accessories will be available to take home in return for a donation of any amount, all in the name of raising funds for the Wilton High School Theater Arts Association staging of Mary Poppins this May.
The best part? These practically perfect items will get a new lease on life, having been freed from closets and attics where their previous owners have stored them along with so many prom and formal dress memories.
Organizers point to statistics that place the average price of a prom dress (not including shoes or other accessories) anywhere between $85-$700, a high cost that isn’t typically spread out over multiple wearings. Repurposing dresses and other garments saves them from ending up in landfills, reducing air pollution, water pollution, and greenhouse gases.
Project Prom shoppers will enjoy music, a photo booth, and refreshments.
Money raised from the event will help the TAA booster organization meet its goal of raising $20,000 to stage the WHS spring musical production Mary Poppins, augmenting the budget from the Board of Education budget and ticket sales.
A cast and crew of more than 50 students and professionals are already hard at work learning lines, building sets, and practicing choreography. The most exciting element for audiences is also the most expensive: the costs associated with the “magic” of making Mary fly. The renowned Broadway team from ZFX Flying Effects will ensure the best-in-class safety protocols at all times.
The Project Prom event is on Friday, March 24, from 3-8 p.m., at the Zellner Gallery at The Clune Center, at Wilton High School (395 Danbury Rd.).
Miller-Driscoll Second Graders Persuade Uncle Leo’s to Create New Donut
When the second graders in Mrs. Kear’s class from Miller-Driscoll School needed some inspiration for their persuasive writing unit, they looked to a topic they all love … donuts! Each student in the class was given the assignment of imagining a new type of donut and coming up with reasons and examples as to why it should be added to the menu.
When the writing was complete, the class needed a judge, so Mrs. Kear called in the experts at Wilton’s own Uncle Leo’s Not Just Coffee and Donuts. After carefully reading each opinion piece, Uncle Leo and Uncle Rosny decided on two donuts: the “Panda Perfect” and the “New York Giants Donut.”
The team at Uncle Leo’s got to work creating party-size donuts to match the descriptions. The donut designers, Lyla Murphy and Ryan Consiglio, and their families were invited to the shop to see the finished products, take a tour of the bakery and even try their hand at making donuts from scratch. Everyone in Mrs. Kear’s class got to take a piece of donut home and the consensus was that they tasted as good as they looked.
Miller-Driscoll educators thanked Uncle Leo’s for making the experience so special and encouraged other people to order one of their donuts for their next event.
Circle of Friends Evening of Recognition will Honor Wilton Teen Volunteers
The Circle of Friends of Fairfield County, serving children and young adults with special needs, has announced its 17th Annual Fundraising Dinner honoring its more than 150 local teen volunteers who share friendship with children with special needs.
High School students from Wilton High School, along with Westport’s Staples High School, Weston High School, and Greenwich High School will receive Fellowship Awards for their combined 4,000 “friendship volunteer hours.”
Three Wilton students being honored at the gala are Samantha Dorne (Fellowship Awardee); Maddie Levi, WHS Circle of Friends Club co-president, and Samik Wangneo.
The gala will take place Sunday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the Westport Women’s Club, (44 Imperial Ave., Westport).
Circle of Friends is non-sectarian, all-volunteer organization that reaches out to children, teens, and adults with special needs, and involves them in a full array of social programs, and weekly playdates.
Concluding its 17th year, the organization’s teen volunteers and their adult supervisors are currently involved with over 300 families in the area.
For more information, visit the Circle of Friends website or call 203.293.8837.