Editor,

Belated thanks to everyone who attended the first annual South Whidbey Schools Foundation Talent Show fundraiser on Sunday, Nov. 23 at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. You made the show a huge success.

To the 70 plus performers who donated their time and talent:

(1) Teachers, Kim Morris, Kent Ratekin, violin, guitar;

(2) Danny Ward, comedy;

(3) the LMS jazz combo: Graham Colar, Russell Daily, Diavonte DeGrace, Brent de Wolf, Carli Newman, Annie Saltee, Elizabeth Simmons; director Jess Monett;

(4) Superintendent Jo Moccia, bringing the house down as Edith Ann from Laugh In;

(5) Good Cheer Garden Coordinator and SWSD schools garden program Cary Peterson, accompanied by second-grade student Brandon Bloom, with basket of school garden-grown squash;

(6) Jeff Greene, high school career and technology teacher, wowing the audience with his little-known talent as a pianist.

(7) SWHS choir, Music in Motion, Paula Ludtke, director of 32 beautiful student voices

(8) SWHS Jazz combo: Joe Ballestrasse, bass; Jason Li, drums; Garrett Poteat, piano

(9) former teachers Michael McInerney, Bill Humphreys, Jean Shaw, singing Fugue for Tinhorns from Guys and Dolls.

(10) #2 Laugh-In Memory: The Park Bench Episode, featuring Christopher Gibson and Jennifer Hagerman, SWHS secretary.

(11)Tom Walker singing a beautiful, touching number: Ring The Bells – School Life K-12, accompanied by powerpoint presentation.

(12) Rural Characters: Gordy Adams, Tom Fisher, Randy Hudson, Tom Walker with Russell Link performing “That is the Way to Spell Chicken;”

(13) Finale: Wonderful World with cast + crew and the audience.

And finally, thanks to all behind-the-scenes help from:

(1) Our Schools Foundation board members;

(2) Our excellent PR/graphic designer, Laura Canby;

(3) WICA, both for their space, their box office help, and the use of their partially built set for A Christmas Story, with doors for Laugh-In remarks and a child’s slide for Edith Ann;

(4) Andy Gilbert and Brad Kenney, owners of Whidbey Makers for the amazing huge rocker built for Edith Ann’s skit;

(5) Claudia Walker, Technical Assistant, for running the Powerpoint presentations that so enhanced the final numbers;

(6) Greg Garbarino, our unflappable technical director without whom we would not have been able to put on the complicated, many faceted show that we did.

Thank you everyone!

Sincerely,

JEAN SHAW & TOM WALKER

Co-producers