Superintendent, others strike a pose for education

By Crystal Bozek
Staff Writer

April 07, 2008 06:00 am

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ANDOVER — School Superintendent Claudia Bach paced backstage, fidgeting with her white, billowy jacket and pants and laughing nervously with other women waiting with her.

It was almost time to walk the runway.

Bach is no stranger to the spotlight, but she's usually lugging along folders full of reports and reciting budget numbers. On Friday night, all she had to rely on was her strut, smile and a hair flip practiced in jest during a rehearsal.

"I'm definitely out of my comfort zone," the superintendent said, trying to keep her smile. "I'm nervous, but it's for a wonderful cause."

Bach and company — a mix of principals, teachers and parents — did their best to transform into fashion models Friday night at Old Town Hall to raise money for the school system.

It was the first Common Threads Fashion Show hosted by the Andover Coalition for Education.

ACE, launched nearly three years ago, has raised about $170,000 for public school programs, funding everything from a grant coordinator to a new engineering lab at Doherty Middle School.

With nearly a $2 million school budget shortfall three weeks before Town Meeting, the importance of raising money for school programs weighed heavily on everyone's minds.

"ACE will continue to support programs no matter what happens with the budget," ACE President Tina Girwood told crowd.

The fashion show was the brainchild of Claire Stahley, an Andover mom with four children in the public schools who also works at Native Sun, a Main Street clothing shop. Fifteen local shop owners participated, offering their clothes and accessories. The night also featured a dinner and live auction.

The models' styles ranged from shy to professional to plain zany.

As the show's token lingerie model, parent Eileen Holzman became "Eileena Gisella" for the night, channeling Victoria's Secret model Gisele Bundchen.

Veteran high school basketball coach Dave Fazio — outfitted by Kaps — sported sunglasses, struck dramatic poses, and twirled and dipped another model as he was rooted on by the crowd.

West Middle School Principal Stephen Murray showed off the sneakers he modeled by leaping off the stage, drawing some gasps.

"What else do you do in sweatpants?" Murray asked afterward, laughing. "I was nervous, and it got me off the stage quicker."

And there were the requisite school budget jokes sprinkled into the mix.

"Can you find room in your budget for some of this clothing?" announcer Robin Brownson asked Bach as she strolled onstage in her final outfit of the night. "I meant personal budget, of course."

How to give

Find out how to donate online at the Andover Coalition for Education's Web site, www.aceandover.org.

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