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Schools

High School Students to Strut Their Stuff for Fashion Fundraiser

Tickets still available for the Art & Fashion Show on March 31.

Seventy juniors and seniors from Watchung Hills Regional High School will model prom dresses and party attire for the Spring Art and Fashion Show with the goal of  raising $20,000 for the school.

Tickets are still available for the show, which starts at 6 p.m. March 31, and will include the student models, dinner, a 50/50 raffle, silent auction and an art auction of more than 50 pieces donated by high school students, staff, parents and the community. There also will be music by a student jazz band, Brass in Black, at the event being held at the .

High school senior Austin Peer is donating an art piece for the auction—and so are his mother, Nancy Peer, and his grandfather, Hank Stairs.

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"They're  a very artistic family," said Liz George, the high school's PTO president. "The whole house is full of art work and all generations doing it."

Robbyn Meringolo, a local parent who had run fashion shows in Long Hill Township, had suggested an art and fashion show as a fundraising event. The idea appealed to many people because it highlights the township's artistic talents, said George.

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For the fashion portion of the evening, the girls will wear prom and party attire on loan from Lord & Taylor in Bridgewater. The boys will be modeling tuxedos from Men's Wearhouse and suits from Brooks Brothers, both in Bridgewater.

And just like any big fashion show, the models will have their hair and make-up done professionally, said fashion show coordinator Leslie Patrizio of Style Matters. Natalie Berger and Sharon Torres of Bellezza Salon, Courtney Stevens and Fabiana Oliveira of Fiorilli, and Hair by Wanda—all Warren businesses—and the Raritan Valley Community College Beauty School are donating their hair-styling services. Donation of make-up services will be provided by the Lord & Taylor cosmetics staff, Carol Simons and Bryon.

Warren Country Florist has donated flowers for the centerpieces. Local businesses and residents also have donated items for the silent auction including a week's stay at a condo in the Bahamas and a week at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.

"We have such great stuff," said George. "It should be a really enjoyable and fun evening."

This will be George's and Vice President Sandy Barta's last year on the PTO after four years, so they are hoping this event will be as successful as a dinner dance two years ago that raised $23,000. That money was donated for equipment for the school's TV studio. Money collected from this year's fashion and art show could be used toward a big-ticket item or smaller necessities that just didn't make it into the school budget, said George.

"We try to donate so that it affects the whole school, not just one area," she said.

Tickets, which are $75 per person, should be purchased in advance, although they will be available at the door. Email ptowhrhs@gmail.com or nkg@aol.com for tickets or more information.

Editor's note: This article was edited to correct the amount of money raised in the dinner-dance event.

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