"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
Supporting Puerto Rico
Friends Raises Funds to Aid Hurricane Victims
The line snaked from the Cafeteria, down the hallway and past the Shop. Students from all grade levels, along with parents and caregivers waited eagerly for entrance to La Marqueta with a Mission, the fundraiser for Puerto Rico held at Friends Seminary on October 24. Although rain forced a move from the Outer Courtyard to the Cafeteria, the Friends Community turned out in impressive numbers. With ticket sales and donations, La Marqueta with a Mission raised over $2,300. All proceeds will be used to purchase Ecokits which will be sent to Puerto Rico to aid in the relief effort from Hurricane Maria. During the Marqueta, some created vejigante masks and puppets, others wrote postcards to children in Puerto Rico, and another group contributed to community art projects by painting part of a mural or designing a quilt patch. These latter two creations are now on display in various parts of the School.
Marqueta attendees were also treated to performances by several members of the community. Barry Blumenfeld’s Capoeira class presented a Capoeira Roda, Adia Whitaker’s Grades 6 and 7 classes performed a lively carnival dance, and Lorena Rengel from the Admissions Office sang the Puerto Rican National Anthem, “La Borinqueña.”
Sponsored by the School, the Marqueta relied almost entirely on donations and volunteers. Flik Dining Services donated food for the event including empanadas, rice and beans, plantains and homemade flan. Ice cream was donated by Lora Romano/Blue Marble Ice Cream and Claudine Zamor. Puerto Rican flags were provided by Raul Russi (parent of Josh ‘18 and Crystal ‘03), and bandanas by Adia Whitaker. Arts and crafts materials were donated by the Friends Seminary Visual Arts Department and Friends After Three. In all, 21 faculty and staff members and 19 Upper School students volunteered their time and talents to the event.
Special thanks to Yaraní del Valle Piñero and Zahydé Pietri Ramirez of Eco Kit Puerto Rico for joining us and educating attendees about their organization. For more information, please visit www.ecokitpuertorico.org. Pictures of the Marqueta are available online at www.friendsseminary.org/marqueta.
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.
