By AMY ADAMS
For The Reporter
The Westfield Education Foundation (WEF), in conjunction with the Westfield Washington Schools (WWS) administration and Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO), honored WWS staff on Friday night, April 28, with the second annual Laugh It Off Comedy Night.
According to WWS and WEF Board member Amber Willis, the idea for the celebration came as school leaders were looking for a way to get everyone together coming out of COVID. She credits WEF Executive Director Ashely Knott with envisioning an out-the-box way to do that.
The success of last year’s event had many anticipating this year’s night out.
“I’ve been looking forward to tonight,” said Westfield High School (WHS) science teacher Riley Peppler. “It was so much fun last year, and I’ve been telling everyone about it.”
Every staff member was offered the opportunity to claim two free tickets for the evening. From teachers to therapists, facilities to food service, and even substitutes, school staff reserved around 1,100 tickets for the event at The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel.
“I have never seen tickets go so fast,” Knott said. “Reservations opened at 8 p.m. on March 1, and we were just blown away at how quickly ticket sales began to skyrocket. We were a little worried we might run out and were prepared to start a waitlist, but we ended up with just the right amount of tickets for everyone who wanted to come.”
PTOs from each school started setting up around 9 a.m. and worked throughout the evening. They organized and ran a gift card pull for staff with around 700 envelopes given out, each containing multiple gift cards. In addition, the PTOs provided 14 gift cards valued at $100 each for one staff member from each school plus the transportation, food services, and central services departments.
“To make this event possible it takes a dedicated team,” Knott said.
In addition to WEF and PTO volunteers, some event sponsors even gave of their time, like Melissa Stalbaum and Quinn Teague of Equitable Advisors and Lorie Bancroft, Jess Bell, and Beth Ryshavy from McGraw Hill Education.
“Volunteer?” Bell asked facetiously. “Yes, we’ll volunteer for teacher appreciation night!”
Surrounded by welcome signs and hundreds of green, black, and gold balloons, the many volunteers welcomed staff and guests into the center starting at 5:30 p.m.
In addition to the warm welcome, guests also enjoyed a cash bar and tables laden with appetizers compliments of the WHS Culinary Arts department, affectionately known as “Foodies Rock.” The menu included chilled hors d’oeuvres like mango salsa with mojo-marinated shrimp and pimento and cheese dip with garlic crackers as well as hot dishes like pork and veggie spring rolls and Southern chicken bites with maple honey glaze.
Under the guidance of Chef Educators Nikki Heflin and Bryan Ferriera and Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Renee Coleman, around 30 WHS students prepared all the dishes from scratch, then transported and served them. Each of these students is ServSafe Manager Certified, which is the national standard for food safety and sanitation.
“The event is a testament to the curriculum we teach in the program,” Heflin said. “To be able to execute an event of this nature, the students can then take what they have learned, and they can perform at a professional level. Our students truly go above and beyond.”
Following the reception, guests were welcomed by a voice familiar to Westfield. Emcee for the evening Brad Neale, otherwise known as the “Voice of the Rocks,” announces for a variety of WHS teams, including football, men’s and women’s basketball, and men’s and women’s volleyball. Neale, who has lived in Westfield for 20 years, is a father of three in the WWS district.
“You are special people,” Neale said to the guests. “You are underpaid, you’re overworked, and you’re the most underappreciated group of people on the planet. This is a fabulous night to celebrate you.”
Another longtime Westfield resident, magician Jeff Loeser, who is a member of the Academy of Magical Arts, shared his “Deliberate Deceptions” with the audience. Calling an assistant out of the audience, kindergarten teacher Kara Hopkins from Maple Glen Elementary School, Loeser performed a mind-boggling trick with random numbers given by audience members to ultimately illustrate that time is a gift.
“Thank you for spending time with our kids,” Loeser said to end his show. “You never know when you might be creating a magic moment.”
Following Loeser, educator-turned-comedian Gerry Brooks from Lexington, Ky., took the stage. Now a mentor for three principals, Brooks has 12 years’ experience as an administrator as well as six years in the classroom and two as an intervention specialist. He has also gained a following of nearly 600,000 on social media where he shares humorous videos based on the real-world experience of educators and school staff. He has also written a book titled Go See the Principal: True Tales from the School Trenches. His hilarious presentation blends his characteristic Southern humor with practical advice for personal climate and culture strategies.
“My goal is that everyone is going to walk out feeling encouraged and ready to get through the rest of the school year,” Brooks said.
WWS Superintendent Dr. Paul Kaiser enjoyed Brooks’ performance.
“He was funny, but he left us with some really good points,” Kaiser said.
After the show, guests had their choice of freshly-made, neatly-packaged desserts, like cookies, caramels, or even bread pudding, provided by local businesses.
“We just hope that this event shares with our staff how much we appreciate them,” Knott said.
WEF exists to empower and invest in Westfield students, teachers, and staff. Since 1986, WEF has awarded more than 650 Westfield students with scholarships totaling more than $1 million. This year, the foundation is projected to give scholarships to 50 students totaling $73,000.
Michael Deck joined the WEF Board about six months ago because he sees the benefits of the organization first hand after his daughter Natalie received a scholarship last year, and he wants to help provide that opportunity to others.
“One of two or three things that makes Westfield stand out is the school system,” Deck said.
In addition, WEF provided 26 teachers with more than $20,000 in grants in 2022. The foundation, in conjunction with Teacher’s Credit Union, also presents quarterly Rock Strong Awards to staff members in recognition of the great work they do.
“Laugh it off has proven itself to be a collaborative district activity for staff members to come together and spend time with other staff members,” Knott said. “As we keep growing and the district grows, it is really important that our staff has that opportunity.”
You can learn more about Westfield Education Foundation at wwswef.org or on social media @wwswef.
In addition to Kaiser, Knott, Willis, and Matt Deck, WEF Board members include President Kyle Messmore, Vice-President Ronnie Saunders, Secretary Josh Andrews, Treasurer Tom Lunsford, Amanda Biedess, Janet Crenshaw, John Deck, Dorron Ferris, Amy Pictor, Shannon Russell, Grant Sindelar, Brian Tomamichel, Veronica Winkleman, and Sarah Worth.
PTO/Planning Committee Members included Michele Lyons, Whitney Moore, Jennifer Hill, Whitney Carriger, Justine McFall, Lorraine Comacho, Lauren Blake, Ali Coyne, Kelly Braun, Carey Miller, Corrie Weir, Ali Hoover, Amy Nelson, Amanda Androne, and Laura Estes.
Event sponsors included The Center for Performing Arts, Performance Services, Blades Audio Video, Equitable Advisors, MidTown Home Collective, Schmidt Associates, Southwest Foodservice Excellence, The Skillman Corporation, Kiwanis Club of Westfield, Rotary Club of Westfield, and Lions Club of Westfield.
Erin Baccari, Suzanne Boyer, Lori Cramer, Sarah Crews, Brooke Goldstein, Kyle Groves, Nikole Hayew, Becky Lane, The Leffews, Alexis Lowery, Kristi McAfee, and Jeff Newkirk all contributed as Friends of Laugh It Off.
Gift cards were generously provided by Chick-Fil-A, Crafters Pizza Drafthouse, Field Brewing, Grand Junction Brewing Co., Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, Indiana Members Credit Union, Jan’s Village Pizza, Joe’s Grille, Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, McDonald’s–Westfield, McGraw Hill Education, Market District, Matt the Miller’s Tavern, Portillo’s, Quack Daddy Donuts, Rail, Texas Roadhouse, The Mill Tavern, Turn the Page, Urban Vines, Westfield Diner, and Westfield Friends Church.
Desserts were graciously donated from Becky the Bakester, Creolicious Bakery, Charleston’s, Chef Karyn, Cookie Dough On The Go!, Crumbl Cookies, DLV Caramels, Kimberly’s Delicious Dozen, Le Macaron–Carmel, McAlister’s Deli, Pastry Sweet & Salty, Waldis Cakes, and Mrs. Workman’s Confections.