Croton's Perez-A-Palooza Raises $10K

Faculty, administrators and support staff from throughout the Croton-Harmon School District recently joined together at the Croton-Harmon High School auditorium for a wonderful cause. Close to 50 colleagues, close friends and other volunteers collaborated to present Perez-A-Palooza, two entertaining shows filled with more than 20 comedy, music and dance skits, complete with several special surprises which raised a combined total of $10,000!

Organized by the staff at Carrie E. Tompkins (CET) Elementary School, Perez-A-Palooza received an overwhelming amount of support from staff and community members, as evidenced by the large turnout. All of the proceeds from the ticket sales, raffle, DVD sales (of the event) and PTA and SEPTA bake sale were donated to the Fran Perez Memorial Scholarship. 

Ms. Perez, who recently passed away, was beloved by her colleagues and students for her kindness, courage, strength, humor and passion. She served as an aide at CET and for many years was a strong supporter of CET's after-school programs, recognizing the need for student enrichment programs. The Fran Perez Memorial Scholarship Fund, along with generous donations from the Perez family, will enable more students to participate in such programs. Members of the Perez family were in attendance for the event.

Perez-A-Palooza producer and CET teacher Marlena Roberts said it was easy to recruit talent for the show, particularly given the cause. “There are a bunch of hams in this district,” said Ms. Roberts. “Those hams provided a phenomenal evening of entertainment!” Ms. Roberts, who also runs a summer children's theater school, brainstormed the idea for Perez-A-Palooza just one month before the big show, yet the quality of the show did not suffer a bit.

In addition to district employees, many outside volunteers contributed, including professional musicians Michael Katzman, Bill Roberts and Nate Brewster, as well as Kenny Simmons of the legendary Commodores. Before the show, Mr. Simmons, who traveled from New Jersey to emcee the event, pronounced, “It's going to be great. It's supporting a good cause, and I'm proud to be a part of it.”

Musical numbers ranged from Mr. Simmons' rendition of The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” to an outrageous, glow-in-the-dark Zumba number. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edward R. Fuhrman provided his theatrical performance entitled “Croton Snow Day,” which was followed by a stunning rendition of Bach's Concerto for Two Violins. A Jackson 5 medley brought the audience to their feet, and memories were brought back to life with musical performances of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” and The Satins’ “In the Still of the Night.” CET Principal Kelly Maloney surprised the audience by dressing up and performing as Lady Gaga, scoring tremendous admiration points among the young people in attendance.

The backstage mood was also decidedly upbeat. “It's difficult to get a bunch of people together at the same time. However, it was a labor of love,” said Ms. Maloney. “We all loved Fran. It was nice to see everyone come together for something like this. It was also nice to see everyone's talents!”