SAAS in the City Spotlight – Our Parent Volunteers 

Above (left-to-right): Sarah Miller (Zoe ‘19) and Hattie Vogel (Hal ‘15 and Will ‘17) 

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“I feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment working on SAAS in the City.  Volunteering allows me to connect with other parents and staff in a fun way and feel more a part of the SAAS community.” Anne-Marie Guerrero, our Annual Fund Director, said “Sarah’s puts 100% of her drive and passion into the planning of this event.  It has been a wonderful experience working with her the last couple of years and we can’t thank her enough for her tireless efforts.”

Now in its eighth year, SAAS in the City (SITC) has become a popular and much anticipated annual celebration and fundraiser for our school. Each year 100’s of hours are spent behind the scenes planning, creating, and rehearsing for this special event.  It takes a large group to pull off an event of this scale and it most certainly wouldn’t be possible without our amazing parent volunteers.

Our parent committee is responsible for the design and décor of the event, as well as the raffle, wine grab, and day of set up/clean up.  It’s a huge job and they do a spectacular job!

This year, Sarah Miller (Zoe ’19) is returning for her second year as the SAAS in the City Event Chair.  When asked about her exceptional dedication to this event she explains, “I feel a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment working on SAAS in the City.  Volunteering allows me to connect with other parents and staff in a fun way and feel more a part of the SAAS community.” Anne-Marie Guerrero, our Annual Fund Director, said “Sarah’s puts 100% of her drive and passion into the planning of this event.  It has been a wonderful experience working with her the last couple of years and we can’t thank her enough for her tireless efforts.”

Newcomers to the school often get involved, have a fantastic experience and make amazing contributions! Elaine Sakamoto (Mia ’18), got involved as a new parent, and is now in her second year coordinating volunteer communications reaching out to a broad team of SITC parent volunteers.  Elaine commented “I love the camaraderie of volunteering for SITC. It’s so fun working on projects and chatting with the other parents.  As a new parent to SAAS, I was glad for the opportunity to meet parents with older students and learn tips about what’s possibly coming down the pipeline – the Yukon trip, Senior Internships, etc. I learned about Curtain Call and the End of Tri performances from parents, which I didn’t know about because my daughter doesn’t tell me anything. I keep coming back because I miss working in the arts and love the opportunity to be around creative people. Each year is a new theme and I love the creativity of the centerpieces, nametags, and décor for the rooms. It’s amazing what the creative team comes up with and what we get to put together.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum we are fortunate to have volunteers who return to contribute their time and talent as alumni parents. George Eitel graduated in 2016, but his mom, Julie Eitel, has been a huge part of the SAAS in the City community for several years.  Originally an Event Chair, Julie continues to offer her design skills and has been creating the amazing event graphics you see each year on the promotions and event décor.  Even two years after her son graduated Julie feels that, “Volunteering for SITC truly connects me with the SAAS community. Working with a fun team of parents, faculty, and staff to create an inspiring evening can be addicting. For me, it’s all about being creative, resourceful, collaborative, and of course, that sense of accomplishment when it all comes together. Even though my son has graduated, I still love to be back on campus to see familiar faces and meet new ones, to hear what is new at the school, and to reconnect with the fabulous SAAS community.”

In addition to the SITC committee members, we have an army of parents who turn up every week to staple, glue, cut, and build the many pieces of décor, including nametags and table centerpieces.  Everything you see at the event has been created by our amazing parent volunteers who have spent their hours after drop off, before pick-up or on weekends creating over 50 tables worth of decorations plus the large pieces of art you see around Fremont Studios, our venue since the very first SAAS in the City.

Physically transforming Fremont Studios into SAAS in the City the day of the event is one of the most fun aspects of being involved.  SAAS staff and volunteers arrive at 10:00 AM and begin turning the Fremont Studio’s black ‘shell’ into a fantastic celebration space.  After 3-4 hours of work (and lunch) our volunteers head home to get ready for the party. By 5:00 PM our evening volunteers arrive back ready to help in their many roles including, check-in, raffle, and wine grab.

THANK YOU to all our volunteers who have dedicated their time and talents to help us plan and create this year’s SAAS in the City!! We continue to welcome volunteers who would like to join the team to help with décor or as a volunteer the day/evening of the event (on March 24). Please email Elaine Sakamoto to volunteer or get more information.

We have less than 100 tickets left and expect to sell out before the ticket deadline.  If you plan to attend SAAS in the City, don’t wait! Purchase your tickets today!