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Staples community supports Orphenians By: maddie bell '23

On Sunday, Jan. 22, the Westport Library hosted a fundraising event for the Orphenians, an elite Staples chorus group. Later this year the Orphenians will be attending the International Luau of Song Choral Festival in Hawaii. Forty two "Orphs" will be attending, but money must be raised in order for every student to attend no matter their financial circumstances. So, the Aloha Fundraiser was hosted, with VIP and regular admission tickets as options.

Chefs Alison Grace and Laura Wendt, also Staples Culinary teachers, assisted with preparations on Sunday. The two teachers helped re-heat, plate and organize dishes.
Chef Cecily Gans and her Advanced Culinary students spent weeks planning the menu and cooking, which served as their midterm grade. Other students of hers helped contribute to the event planning as well.
In addition to tickets as a form of raising money, a silent action was available with a variety of prizes. On Sunday afternoon, volunteers organized and displayed the prizes that were offered.
Besides planning and cooking the food, students were responsible for serving it throughout the night. "We were in charge of pointing out vegetarian and regular food options as well as introducing all of the foods," Emma Schorr '24 said. "It was a nice, involved task."
Orphenians sang on this stage beginning at 6:30 p.m., when the VIP guests arrived for their portion of the night. "Tonight is about making sure everyone can go to Hawaii this summer, especially those who may need financial aid," Rohan Wathwani '24 said.