WINNETKA – The committee orchestrating Raise The Stage, a capital campaign to outfit New Trier High School’s new black box theatre and name it in memory of Mary Catherine Hayes (‘10) and Sarah McCausland (’13), presented the New Trier Board of Education at its Feb. 15, 2016 meeting with a $400,000 check toward its ultimate goal of raising $1 million by June 2017. The committee, which consists of the parents of the girls and representatives from the township and school, delivered the funds to the board four months ahead of the scheduled deadline for its first payment.
“We are delighted to make a sizeable contribution towards our goal, and well ahead of schedule,” said Dale West Wyant, Raise The Stage Campaign Director. “We still have a lot of work to do, but we have terrific momentum. And we are extremely grateful to so many in the New Trier community for their support of our effort to name the new black box after two young women who represent the best of what a New Trier education has always offered this township’s students.”
Upcoming Raise The Stage events from March through May are:
• Saturday, March 12 from 3 to 4 p.m., the Whim ‘n Rhythm a cappella choir of Yale University will perform at New Trier’s McGee Theatre on the Winnetka Campus. Whim ‘n Rhythm member Catherine Jameson is a New Trier graduate. Tickets are $20; all sales benefit Raise The Stage. They can be purchased at www.greateventseats.com/NTHS.
• March 28 through April 1, The Noodle Market in Wilmette, which serves delectable take out Italian American cuisine, will donate a portion of its proceeds to Raise The Stage. For more information about menu items and hours, go to www.thenoodlecafe.com
• April and May, the New Trier Fine Arts Association (NTFAA) is conducting an online fundraiser in collaboration with Raise The Stage to notify as many families in the district as possible about the campaign. NTFAA will be directing donors to the campaign website www.raisethestage.org.
All funds raised will go towards outfitting New Trier’s new black box theatre, a state-of-the-art teaching laboratory for performance, stagecraft and design students. It is an essential feature of New Trier’s extensive renovation, which is now underway and scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2017-18 school year. New Trier’s $89 million referendum, approved in November 2014, provides the funding to frame out the two-story black box space but not to outfit it with the essential components – lighting, sound system, AV equipment, etc. – necessary to function as a working theatre and performing arts classroom. The campaign gives those who value New Trier the opportunity to financially support this innovative space, which will benefit students and the community for generations to come.
Opportunities to make direct contributions include giving at a level of $5,000 and above. Donors who give at this level will be permanently recognized on New Trier’s first ever donor wall, which will be prominently displayed in the school’s new concourse. For more information, please contact Dale West Wyant at 847-687-2557 or at hayesmccauslandtheatre@gmail.com.
The campaign greatly appreciates contributions at any level, which can be made by visiting www.raisethestage.org. To learn more about Mary Catherine and Sarah, visit www.raisethestage.org/home/the-girls/.
Submitted by Raise the Stage campaign