Everybody Cut Footloose!
St. Patrick High School Production Raises $50,000 for Health Sciences Foundation
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Students and staff at St. Patrick High School celebrated the conclusion of the sold-out production of Footloose. Over 150 staff and students were involved in bringing this incredible show to life at Selkirk Auditorium. |
May 16, 2018
It was a show to remember. Audiences at Selkirk Auditorium were transported from Thunder Bay all the way to Bomont, for a stellar production of Footloose, put on by students and staff of St. Patrick High School.
For the first time ever, all six shows were completely sold out, which resulted in a whopping $50,000 raised for the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation; the most raised in the history of performances at St. Patrick High School!
Production Director, Patricia Del Paggio, said, “The talent that we have at St. Patrick High School is truly unimaginable and we thank our school’s families for giving our students the courage to audition and the support they needed to make it through this long and arduous ride. We started auditions in October and have been working at it ever since. Altogether we had over 150 staff and students involved.”
Added Del Paggio, “The potential a school-wide musical creates is to not only help students become more confident on stage and in life, but teach them a valuable, rewarding lesson of charity and giving back to others. Coincidently, it was recently Catholic Education Week, and the Catholic Virtues are a major cornerstone of our education system. Not only do our students feel and understand the reward of being on stage, but also the heartwarming experience of doing something for others. When the directorial team chose the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation as our charity of choice, we knew that this organization was intertwined in all of our lives. Knowing that these funds will be helping those around us makes this journey even more special.”
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For the first time ever in St. Patrick High School’s history, all six shows were sold out, resulting in a whopping $50,000 donation to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation. Celebrating this donation are (l-r), Dr. Stephen Adams, Chair, Development, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation; Glenn Craig, President & CEO, Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation; Patricia Del Paggio, Production Director, St. Patrick High School; Kevin Koster, Principal, St. Patrick High School; and Dan Puiatti, Artistic Director, St. Patrick High School |
Thanks to the incredible donation made on behalf of St. Patrick High School, a room in the Hospital will be dedicated in memory of Mr. Tim McFarlane, a former teacher on the Board and a representation of the very virtues being taught. He was a lover of the arts and always encouraged others to go out of their way to perform acts of kindness.
Del Paggio noted that a production of this size wouldn’t be possible without the support of many including Danny Johnson and his toe-tapping band, along with the St. Patrick High School staff and student community. “Of course, without an audience, our show would not be the community-building success it has come to be,” she said, “and I’d like to thank every person who came and showed support for this production. I must also thank our sponsors, without whom we would never have been able to raise this incredible amount for our Hospital.”
When the final curtain closed and the confetti has settled, students took part in one final task - deciding what area of the Hospital they wanted their donation to support. The decided to split it three ways: between Child & Adolescent Mental Health, the Cardiovascular Surgery program, and the area of highest need.