A Recommendation from a Parent of Alpha II

Hello all,

Below is a letter of recommendation from a really great parent from one of the graduates of Alpha II Alternative School. She and I worked together with the Student Graduation Committee to bring about the 2009 Alpha II Graduating Class Party at Lula Lounge.

(Honestly, THANK YOU VANNINA, I can barely read snippets of it because it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside! - It is feedback like this that continues to remind me how much of an impact we can be to others)

===========================

October 21, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing this letter to say that I highly recommend Simplicity Event Catering if you are planning to host any type of social event.

I had the pleasure of working collaboratively with Simplicity Event Catering’s, Rolando Tecson, who volunteered to help organize the end-of-year/graduation party at my son’s school (Alpha 2 Alternative School) this past June. I cannot emphasize enough how much I, and the rest of the Alpha 2 community, appreciated Simplicity’s contribution. I was particularly impressed by Rolando’s professionalism. Although he was volunteering his time, he treated the event like any other paid catering gig, really paying attention to the clients’ (students and parents) diverging demands and coming up with creative ways to bridge them. Despite a very low budget, Simplicity helped us to pull off an event that was fun, delicious, and memorable.

Let me explain some details about this event. Alpha 2 is not an ordinary school. It is a free, student-led school, where students decide what and how they will study. This philosophy extended to the planning of the end-of-year party. This meant that all aspects of the event were planned by a committee composed of six students, one of the teachers, Rolando, and a parent (myself). In addition, all students had some input into the kind of food, location, and décor that they would like to see at their party. Trying to satisfy the diverse likes and dislikes of over twenty grade 7s and 8s and their parents is no easy task, but we managed to pull it off, in large part thanks to Rolando’s congeniality, great organizational skills, his broad knowledge of resources, and his mouth-watering food.

Rolando was fun to work with and was able to translate the students’ graduation fantasies into an achievable form. For instance, he came up with very simple yet elegant decoration ideas that appealed to all tastes. The menu, composed of a buffet of appetizer-style foods, satisfied meat-eaters and vegetarians and had substance, as well as style. It was all topped off by a delicious cake that looked beautiful but demanded to be eaten.

Every social event runs into obstacles at some point and this is where Rolando’s input was crucial. In planning, as on the day of the event, it was Rolando’s mix of good organization and conviviality that kept us on track. He never stressed out (visibly) and even when things got tough, he lightened the mood with his humour and graciousness.

I want to end by reiterating that I highly recommend Simplicity Event Catering if you are planning a social event.

Sincerely,

Vannina, Ph.D. (Parent of Alpha II Student & Graduate)

Sociology and Equity Studies in Education

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education

University of Toronto