May 25, 2004

Books on Par fundraiser rakes in $70,000 for James F. Smith School

By Bea Baechle
Editor

“There’s nothing more important than to celebrate the lives of children,” said Master of Ceremonies Rigo Chacon at the Third Annual Books on Par fundraiser for James F. Smith Elementary School held on May 17.

The parents, teachers and students of J.F. Smith have a lot to celebrate. Proceeds from the annual Books on Par golf tournament, silent auction and live auction climbed to $70,000 for library and resource materials. Similar efforts in the past have enabled the PTA to purchase 6,500 books and other resources for the library.

Principal Will Ector also commended the parents and teachers in attendance. “We’ve come a long way in a short of time. You’re sending us your best children and we’re very proud of the kids that show up every day. I have also been blessed with a very, very talented group of teachers.”

Noting J.F. Smith’s high API scores, Ector added, “None of this would have happened if these seats would have been empty tonight. My hat is off to each and every one of you who came in to support us, to keep the flame burning [and] to keep the quality of learning at JFS alive.”

More to come
“The Great Grant, Griffith and Jones Giveaway” entitles the winning bidder to save thousands of dollars in commission and see the commission that would normally go to the listing agent go to J.F. Smith instead.

Sealed bids will be accepted through June 17. At the close of escrow on the sale of the bidder’s home, Windermere realtors Scott and Diane Grant, Bonnie Griffith and Ron Jones will present their listing agent’s portion of the commission to the school.

Located at Silver Creek Canyon Shopping Center, Grant, Griffith and Jones can be reached at (408) 239-0990 if you’re interested in bidding.

Golf Tournament
Four “Hole in One” contests sponsored by George Johnson, general sales manager of Stevens Creek Porsche and Audi, added an element of excitement to this year’s golf tournament. Unfortunately, no one won any of the contests, but the potential prizes—including a Porsche Boxster—certainly motivated the 108 golfers participating!

The Winning Foursome this year was Bill Frandsen, Bob Denis, Greg Olsen and Gene Norcia. Bill Frandsen earned the Closest to the Pin and Scott Day got the Men’s Longest Drive. Cindy Sanders got the Women’s Longest Drive.

Sales director Craig Swarthout commented, “It was a great tournament and we appreciate everyone showing up this year. It was a tough year to get people to show up, times are tough, but they came out and gave us all they could.”
Aldo Montufar of MegaByte Pizza, located at Silver Creek Canyon Shopping Center, provided complimentary lunches for the tournament, and the Coca-Cola Company supplied sodas and waters.

Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction
While nibbling on appetizers—compliments of Grant, Griffith and Jones—guests perused through and bid on 118 items during the Silent Auction. Al Olseen, State Farm Agency owner in Evergreen, donated the wine.

Bill and Shelly Suttles made the highest bid of $480 for the Electronic Arts Basket, and among the Sports Memorabilia, an autographed photo by Shark’s goalie, Nabokov, went for $800.

Live Auction
The highlight of the event each year is bidding on the priceless artwork created by the children of J.F. Smith. For the third year in a row, auctioneer Pete DeVries donated his time to deliver a fast-paced, live auction of 29 items, raising more than $38,000.

Marc Albin came in as the highest bidder this year, with a $6,500 bid for Black and White Children’s Photos of Ms. Rivera’s second grade class. Set in motion, the students used artistic movement when posing for these delightful photos. The students’ own creations border this impressive print.

When asked about what motivated him to place such an extraordinary bid, Albin said, “Because it’s my son’s and it means a lot. It’s a family thing. It’s all about family and learning.”

Michel Langlois and Joanne Rochon made the second highest bid at $3,300 for “The Violin.” Ms. Quijano’s third graders painted this reproduction of the original classic oil painting “The Violin” by artist Claude Bonneau. The children also composed poems describing how they feel about music.

Martin and Nirmala Lefebvre made the third highest bid for “Lumiere Intense,” created by the kindergarten class of retiring teacher Mrs. Sekimoto. Inspired by a Pascal Etchenic piece, the students created an incredible abstract seascape painting done in acrylics.

The talented Dzemal Emric of Emric Decorations, who has supported the classroom projects for the last three years, framed many of the wonderful class projects.

Classroom Art Project Coordinator Debra Murphy bought a full set of braces for $3,200. The braces were donated by Dr. David Tillmanns.

Event director Leslie by Shannon concluded, “I am always thrilled to participate in this event. The dedication and enthusiasm of all the volunteers and sponsors makes you realize that when people work together for a common cause, anything is possible!”