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Spread the News: Auction a Solid Success!

Nearly 300 fans and friends of Esperanza Academy attended the October 23rd event at the Wyndham Boston Andover Hotel. This year was both entertaining and informational as many old friends were joined by many new faces. Guest auctioneer Matt Noyes was thrilled to share the Esperanza story with all, filling the room with enthusiasm and excitement as he talked about the wonderful work of Esperanza and his visit with the girls in early October.

Highlights of the evening include a silent auction of over 200 items with 10 amazing items reserved for the live auction.  An additional $60,000+ was raised in the live auction "Sponsor a Girl" segment of the evening; these funds will cover the cost of sending five girls to Esperanza for a full year. Another crowd favorite was the beautiful purple, pearl, and silver bracelets crafted by the Esperanza girls and available for purchase at the event. Nearly 200 bracelets were quickly snapped up by Esperanza's most fashionable fans!

After the fifth graders sang grace, Laurie Bottiger, Head of School, welcomed the guests to the event with a heartwarming and inspirational speech about the progress the students and the school have made in the past five years.  She reflected on the success of Esperanza's recent graduates, noting:
 
"Of our 16 members of the class of 2009, all 16 had private school invitations. The grades are in from their first 6 weeks in high school and we report that they are doing fine. Some are simply thriving.  The growth the girls experience while in a supportive learning environment that balances rigor and nurture, supports the girls as individuals and as community members and intends to help them reach their potential, is immense. Even though 70% of our graduates arrived at Esperanza reading below grade level, 75% of them graduated reading above grade level. In math, the majority of girls arrived with MCAS scores that put them in the warning or needs improvement levels; the graduates were performing on average at the 10th grade level in math. The Esperanza girls grow to truly find the love of learning at levels that they didn't know were possible."
 
Laurie concluded her speech by acknowledging the audience and all of Esperanza's generous and devoted supporters.  She said, "Blessings to each of you in the room! By being with us tonight, you are exemplifying your commitment to insure educational opportunity even for those that don't have the resources to do it alone.  Your collective voice is powerful and our families are truly becoming empowered through your support!"
 
She then introduced Esperanza Academy 8th grader Catherine P., who spoke of her own transformation at Esperanza.  Catherine noted, " Esperanza Academy has shown me many things, such as how to overcome obstacles, whether it be on personal problems or school work. I learned how to be responsible and flexible. I learned how to help others and really consider what's going on in my community. I learned how to be a strong leader. I learned that in the end of all my hard work and back pain everything will turn out to be a beautiful piece on the violin composed from the heart." 
 
Catherine concluded her inspiring words with inspiration from another, Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said, "It's not the length of life, but the depth of life." She then shared her gift with the audience as she picked up her violin, welcomed her fellow EA 8th grader Roxely to the stage, and the two amazed the audience with their performance. 
 
Matt Noyes posted a brief personal video of the event on his webpage; visit the site at http://www.mattnoyes.net/out_and_about/ and scroll down to the October 23 post to view the video. Keep scrolling to the October 6 entry to view a clip from Matt's visit to Esperanza Academy.