No ‘Feuding’ About it: Montclair Public Schools ‘Family’ is All Heart
- Erin Madigan White
- May 21
- 2 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
The Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence asked: How do we express our appreciation to a community that helped us exceed our $90,000 fundraising goal at the “Family Feud: Montclair Edition” game show and party on Thursday, May 15?
Survey Says:
THANK YOU, MONTCLAIR!
Thanks a million.
Much appreciated.
Merci! Muchas Gracias! Danke!
Cheers.
We couldn’t have done it without you.
You’re the best.
All good answers. But really, they don’t seem BIG enough to contain our gratitude to everyone who donated, attended the party, played the game or volunteered. Proceeds from this event allow MFEE to invest in classroom innovation, equity grants, professional development for teachers, after-school tutoring for multilingual students, arts programs to promote social-emotional wellness, and much more.
More than 120 community members, including 55 Montclair Public Schools staff members competed. Hats off to our winners:
The AfterClass All Stars Jennifer Contreras, Lesley Xicotencatl, Rosario Tula, Susan Eckert and John Eckert
And congrats to our other three finalists:
Edgemont’s 1st Grade Child-Rearing Pros Susan Licwinko, Cassandre Cheung, Greg Colussy, Rich Reynics and Tom McShane
Nishuane Fireballers Frank Sedita, Brenda Coe, Marissa May, Lisa Aulisi, and Mike Estler
Renaissance Rebels Maria Francisco, Ms. Jordan, Mr. Jackson, Ms. Yekeen, Ms. Girardi, and Ms. Loccke
These teams get year-long bragging rights, but the real winners are the 6,000 MPS students MFEE serves through our work. We truly couldn’t pull off a wacky event like this without the support of our community.
To the high school art students who painted signs for our stage, the MPS parents and students who built our podium and shared their photography skills, the sponsors who gave generously, the volunteers who ran our game stations, the MFEE board members who tended bar and organized the auction, the teachers, students, principals, PTA leaders, and parents who competed, and all the community members who cheered them on...
THANK YOU.
A special shout out to Bridget Placek, MFEE’s board co-president, who channeled her inner Steve Harvey as our game show host. A chef’s kiss to Tacoria and Mercado for donating delicious food and snacks. And hats off to Bradford parent Lauren Cancelosi and MFEE Board member LeAnne Korbel for the countless hours and creative spirit they brought to this event. You’re all on our leaderboard for generosity!
With your support, MFEE can continue to support students, teachers and families across our district. The show may be over, but there’s still time to donate.
See ya next time, folks!
Photos courtesy Beth Chucker, Chris Buck, Michael Stahl, and MHS sophomore Lucas Hubbard.