SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, November 21st
9:00-4:00 pm

Spend the day volunteering at different homeless shelters in the New York City area with GFA juniors. Students annually participate in a program organized through a non-profit called the Youth Service Opportunities Project (YSOP). They take the train into the city on Friday evening and spend the night a the Quaker Friends Seminary in Manhattan which houses a homeless shelter. The next morning you have the chance to work with students at shelters and soup kitchens throughout Manhattan and the Bronx and spend the day preparing meals and visiting with the guests at the shelter.

Take advantage of this great opportunity to help others and spend the day volunteering with current GFA students.

If you are interested, please email Rachel D'Agostino at rdagostino@gfacademy.org

It's Homecoming time at GFA once again, and plans are underway for the GFA alumni soccer game. This year will mark the 16th annual game! This is always a lot of fun and a great way to get back on the field and play with friends and faculty. This year the Homecoming Fall Fair is on Saturday, October 24th. Game time is at 11:30 a.m., if you'd like to play make sure you get there by 11 a.m. to stretch and warm-up. Jimmy Bebon '83 heads the "older alumni" team (Class of 1986 and older) and they always have a large squad and a great time. This is a coed game, so all are welcome! I hope you can join us for Homecoming 2009.

If you would like to play or have any questions, please email Rachel D'Agostino at rdagostino@gfacademy.org

I hope to see you on the field!

GFA Upper School students are performing the 2001 Broadway musical, Urinetown on Friday, November 13th- Sunday, November 15th.

Stephen Stout, Director of Theatre at GFA describes the musical as both an homage and a parody, its style is ironic, arch and absolutely dead-on honest all at once. Stephen summarizes the musical: "It’s about a water shortage and the company that has kept the poor down and out for years. It’s about the fact that there will always be poor and rich and the rich will always want to keep the poor down. It’s about love and mistakes and justice and corrupt cops and getting through by do what you must do in rough times. It’s about having to pay to relieve yourself. It’s really funny. It’s a great score with very solid performances. It’s a chance to see 34 students truly strut their stuff on stage."
 

We are pleased to announce a new way for you to access alumni information on our website. As an alum, you will be able to go to a secure password-protected site called My Backpack to see the following important information: an alumni directory, class notes and your own personal giving history (not visible to anyone else.)

You should have received a letter in the mail with your user id and a temporary password to enter the site. You may change your password once you have logged in. The My Backpack web address is: https://my.gfacademy.org/SeniorApps
(Note the "s" for "secure" in https, please bookmark this address in your web browser)

VERNISSAGE 
Opening Exhibition of Artwork by Katrina Franzen and Artists for Charity

Friday, October 23rd from 6 to 10 PM
Southport Galleries, located in the heart of Southport Village
330 Pequot Avenue
 

Featuring a commissioned portrait of a Southport bride and other new paintings by Katrina Franzen.

Also presenting "Immunology" (artwork by the AFC kids from Ethiopia depicting HIV/AIDS virus as a character/creature/physical being) to benefit Artists for Charity....and more!

Sarah Biggers '05 and Katherine Cissel '05 are the managers at the Southport Galleries and Katrina's show will be the first solo exhibit to take place in the gallery, and her first solo show to date. All GFA-ers are welcome and encouraged to attend! 

Katrina is currently hosting Ethiopian 10 year old girl, Mekdes, while she undergoes medical treatment for her deafness, and she will be with Katrina at the show!

This is a kid-friendly, alcohol-free event. Free and open to the public. Canapés and refreshments will be served. Stay tuned on http://katrinafranzen.com and check out http://artistsforcharity.org for more info about AFC children.