Brooke Bates, Marysella Castillo and Merav Davis, the organizing team of the Gala 2013 at the Lycée Français de New York.
Q: The school chose to go “digital” for this year’s Gala. Why?
Marysella C, Merav D, Brooke B: Yes, we did! The theme this year is #LFNY – Advancing Minds into a Digital Future. Every year the Development Team, Head of School, the Board, and Gala co-chairs select a theme that fits in with the overall vision and mission of the school, and also one which we can bring to life.
Given how tremendously important technology and the integration of technology will be to the future of education and Lycée students, a digital theme just made sense. But, it’s not just the classrooms that are becoming so technology focused, we’ve digitized the Gala itself quite a bit this year.
For the first time, you can pay for tickets and table sponsorships online at the LFNY Gala website, www.lfnygala.org. We’ve also implemented an online database for all submission forms with the help of webmaster and data manager, Jon Linn, our hero at Gala time! This has been essential for our organizational efficiency, so we can spend more time on the event itself.
Q: What else is new at this year’s Gala?
Building on the theme of our digital future, we’ve incorporated as much technology as we can into the event itself. You’ll see big screens, videos, and even a digital Gala game created by students in the lounge area.
The location is new. The Gala is being held downtown at Pier 36 on the East Side. It felt fitting to move the Gala to a downtown location in a year where digital is the theme. And, for the first time, our guest of honor is from the United States! This year, we honor renowned journalist Charlie Rose, executive editor and anchor of his eponymous interview program, Charlie Rose, co-host of CBS This Morning, and contributor to 60 Minutes. He was chosen because of his consistent commitment to and interest in fostering a dialogue in the United States with leading figures in the arts, politics, and society from France.
Q: Students seem to be taking on a bigger role in the Gala every year. What are they doing to participate this year?
Students have always been involved in the Gala, to be sure. This year it’s been particularly fun working with them because the theme, digital media and technology, is so close to them. Everyone is learning in the process. Our Music Director, Remy Loumbrozo, is learning digital software and composing music with students. All the volunteers have dived into technology themselves, whether it’s basic things like GoogleDocs for information sharing or Pinterest photos to share ideas for table arrangements. And, the school has launched a twitter feed just in time for the Gala, @lyceefrancaisny. So, it’s an opportunity not just for the students to show how they’re embracing technology, but also for our parent body to get engaged in it as well.
Q: The logo this year is an interesting one. What does it represent?
We love the logo! It was created by Isaac Gertman a principal at Paperwhite Studio, a graphic design company founded by LFNY alumna, Laureen Moyal. They brainstormed the logo with the lights out right in the middle of Hurricane Sandy in October. It is a vibrating mass of color reflective of the 48 nationalities we represent at the school. It’s symbolic of the movement and energy that are created when people of diverse backgrounds come together for a common purpose.
We hope that Gala guests will be inspired by the many colors of the logo to dress bright and bold for this year’s Gala.
Q: Any hints on cool items in the auction this year?
Oh the places you’ll go… We have some incredible trips this year to Paris to Turkey to Costa Rica. Beautiful handbags and jewelry and a fabulous selection of wine will be up for auction among many other things.
It is fun to track and catalogue all the items, not just because they are so incredible, but because of what their proceeds support. What really drives us is where all this hard work and generosity goes – to support the operating budget of the school, and so important, to our scholarship program.
Q: You seem to be here 24/7. What keeps you going?
We love events! We know that sounds crazy, but when you do events you sign up for busy times. We love that we get to interact with parents on a daily basis, and, around Gala time, spend time with students. We are so grateful for the volunteers and the time they put into the Gala. It wouldn’t happen without them!
Q: How do we stay connected to Gala developments?
Follow us on:
twitter: @lyceefrancaisny
pinterest: pinterest.com/lfnygala
instagram: instagram.com/lfnygala
Visit:
Gala website: lfnygala.org
LFNY Life: life.lfny.org
See you on March 16th!
About the Author :
Elisabeth King joined the Lycée team in November 2011 as the school’s first director of communications. A francophile at heart, Elisabeth spent her junior year of college in Paris, and held her first job at the French Trade Office here in New York. She brings to the Lycée over 15 years of experience in media and communications in non-profits, government, news and business. She was previously executive vice president and director of strategy at ABI, Inc., a boutique public relations agency, and she worked as associate editor on two books co-authored by Todd Brewster and the late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings.