Buckley Fourth Annual Spring Gala

Lt. to rt.--Board Chair William Arnone, Gala Chair Tanya Manuali, Headmaster Dr. Jean-Marc Juhel, and Trustees Elaine Phillips and Sean Collins enjoy celebrating at the Buckley Spring Gala at the Garden City Hotel.

Late this spring, two hundred friends of Buckley Country Day School gathered at the Garden City Hotel to celebrate the school's eighty-five-year history, its present accomplishments, and its promising future.

The leadership and creative touch of Tanya Manuali resulted in a memorable evening, worthy of the milestone Buckley has reached. The school community is indebted to Tanya and the entire Spring Gala Committee for their selfless commitment and dedication. A heartfelt thank you is also due to Abbi and John Fazio for the magnificent centerpieces adorning each table, to Invitation Chair Stephanie Deutsch, and to Journal Chairs Stachia Burger, Bouchra Bendary, Cynthia Naughton, and Kim Puccia. The journal is a beautiful keepsake, which contains the children's reflections on the Buckley of the past, present, and future.

Several proclamations, all included in the Gala journal, were issued on the occasion of Buckley's 85th anniversary. Bill Arnone, Chair of the Board of Trustees, read publicly the one that came directly from the White House and was signed by President George W. Bush. The letter from the White house reads: "This anniversary provides an opportunity for you to take pride in your school and your accomplishments. I encourage students to set high goals and strive to learn more every day, and I applaud teachers and school officials for your efforts to build the minds and character of our future generation. Your dedication to America's youth reflects the spirit of our Nation."

Mrs. Patricia Rowland, recently recognized by the Board of Trustees for her forty years of outstanding teaching in history and music at Buckley, offered a moving blessing and reminded all of their common affection -past, present, and future- for the very special place that Buckley is.

The proceeds from the 2008 Gala enabled the school to purchase new computers in order to increase "any-time, any-place learning" and easy access to state-of-the-art technology for all students and faculty. MacBook laptops will be provided for all 7th and 8th graders, new iMacs will be installed in the computer lab, and all the lower school classrooms will be equipped with the newer eMacs currently in the computer lab.

After dancing and dinner, the 2008 school video was premiered. This year's video featured all Buckley students and focused on the prestigious history of their school, with vintage footage from the 1950's, back to the Kings Point era.

A spectacular cake in the shape of the school's building, underwritten by the Manuali family, was brought in so candles could be blown and all could sing, "Happy birthday, Buckley!" Buckley is not showing its age; as one of the children pointed out in the video, "85 is the new 40." So, on to the next 85 five years!