On Friday, December 9, Pierce students welcomed family, friends, alumni, and guests to a glowing Christmas campus to celebrate and exchange season’s greetings and wishes. The proceeds from the Pierce Christmas Bazaar 2016 will be used to support the creation of new scholarships.
Over 1,500 guests visited the wonderful Christmas village, set up in the historic Pierce atrium. The fragrance of Christmas delicacies from all corners of the world wafted out of the little illuminated wooden houses and enthusiastic young “vendors” offered handmade ornaments, jewelry, and Christmas gifts created by the ACG community.
The celebration continued in a packed Pierce theater with a masterful production of music, dance, and creativity; a very moving performance, based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, and dedicated to love. The President of The American College of Greece, Dr. David G. Horner, and his wife, Dr. S. Sue Horner, warmly welcomed the audience, reciting a passage from the Hymn of Love from the First Epistle to the Corinthians: “Love is patient; love is kind. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
The show that followed was another verse in the night’s hymn to love: hearts illuminated the theater, lively voices from the choir sang in unison with the orchestra’s melody creating a festive mood with traditional Christmas songs, and rock/disco medleys. On stage, graceful dancers animated the ethereal Christmas Spirit and Scrooge, the original Grinch, was transformed into a benevolent hero, dancing along with the little elves. The heartwarming theatrical and musical performance was produced by director and choreographer Apostolia Papadamaki, and Pierce professor Giannos Tsatalis.
The highlight of the celebration was when President Horner danced on stage with Pierce Principal Olga E. Julius who will be retiring from her position after 42 years of dedication, service, and loving contribution. In this context, Principal Julius dedicated the 1980 REO Speedwagon song, “Keep on loving you” to all her students and the theater flooded with colored confetti, smiles, and applause, marking the happiest ending to a Pierce Christmas tale!
The warm and festive atmosphere carried on outside the theater, where students handed out paper hearts full of good wishes to the guests, encouraging them to open up their own heart to someone and other wonderful gifts offered by companies, alumni, and friends of the College.
With the help of all supporters and guests who made this year’s Christmas celebration a success, our students will be able to donate all proceeds to reinforce the Pierce Scholarship Fund.
From The American College of Greece, we extend our wholehearted gratitude to all of you who supported the event with your presence, hard work, and meaningful contribution, warming our hearts and evoking once again the historic motto of our College: To serve and not be served – Non ministrari sed ministrare.
A big thank you to all our supporters for their meaningful contribution, their valuable help, and their one-of-a-kind products, without which this celebration of love would not have been possible!
