Starry Night is something the WSNO community looks forward to every year, and this year was no exception. We raised a total of $48,676, with $25,000 for the Saint Rose Community Scholarship, thanks to your generous support!
From the dance stylings of the Pussyfooters and the Reese Johanson Collective to the incredible talents of DJ Heelturn, guests were wowed. We had an amazing array delectable food and drink from Brigtsen's, Stein's Market & Deli, Bua Thai Kitchen, Meril, Good Karma Plant Based Cuisine & Coffee, Mc Hardy's Chicken & Fixin', Urban South Brewery, Pagoda Cafe, Cupcake Fairies, Coco Hut Caribbean Food, and Pizza Delicious. And our headline act was incredible! We were so excited to welcome Grammy Award Winner Nicholas Payton with talented vocalist Cyrille Aimée.
This year's Starry Night we recognized Guiding Star Honorree, Genevieve Nielsen. The evening also brought out some special Shining Stars - both a teacher and a parent who model the values of Waldorf Education. Leaders in our community who make our school a better place. This year WSNO Parent Renee Rowley and Magnolia Kindergarten Teacher Heidi Anne Porter were recognized for their tireless efforts. Read some of the kind words that were written about them below.
Shining Stars: Parent Renee Rowley & Magnolia Kindergarten Teacher Heidi Anne Porter
"Ever since I joined this community 10 years ago, Renee has worked tirelessly to support all kinds of projects, initiatives not the least of which have been running the facilities committee for years and now the Parent Council. She does these jobs with grace and diplomacy. She does a beautiful job of hearing others and taking many perspectives into account. Often the brilliance of what she does is behind the scenes." - Ama Rogan
"Renee is a tireless and fierce advocate for the WSNO community - students, parents, and faculty. She was one of the first parents that I sought advice from when navigating and attempting to understand the Waldorf approach to pedagogy and governance. That was nine years ago and I still find myself seeking her advice today. Her answers and explanations stem from a profound combination of experience, study, and commitment. I don’t know if there has been a week since I’ve been a parent at WSNO where I haven’t seen her car parked on Soraparu because she’s indoors or outdoors engaged in some volunteer activity. In my opinion, she is the epitome of the ideal Waldorf parent." - Queta Beasley Harris
"[Heidi] lives Waldorf values." - Anonymous
"Heidi's classroom is pure magic. She is so great with all the kids and her teaching style is inspiring. The fact that she spends two Fridays a month outside from 8am-3pm with twenty-six kids is award-worthy alone." - Katie Pedroza
Relive the Magic: Enjoy Our Starry Night Photo Gallery