Page 25 - FIS World November 2016

The Show Must Go On!
SPA bids adieu to two of its longest serving volunteers
The Supporters of the Performing Arts (SPA) applauds the 12-year service of volunteers Laura and Georg Werner, who were among the founders of SPA in 2004, and who this year, have o cially taken their nal bows as FIS SPA volunteers.
Mr. and Ms. Werner began volunteering with SPA when their children, Hans, Class of 2006, and Margaret ‘09, were students at FIS, but
continued to serve long after they graduated. For more than a decade, Ms. Werner photographed hundreds of students as they posed with their band instruments, danced in the studio or performed on stage; some of her favorite photos are captured on these pages.
Together with other original SPA members, Ms. Werner masterminded the hospitality of performance intervals and Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) festival celebrations, and made sure that audience members for all events could enjoy a drink alongside a snack.
If you ever reached for a beverage at an Upper School performance, Mr. Werner was probably the one handing you that glass. He oversaw the inventory of drinks and snacks, and always sent parent volunteers back to the performance so they could enjoy the show while he nished the clean-up on his own.
Ms. Werner will remain in her position as “Trip Lady” at the Bookstore and she’ll always be the best person to ask about Lost and Found items. We’ll also occasionally see her with her camera in hand, but she and Mr. Werner have taken their nal bows as co-hosts of the SPA “stage.“
The Performing Arts department extended a heartfelt thanks for their enthusiastic support of the performing arts. “Laura and Georg have been a great example of parents committed to SPA and over the years they have really gone above and beyond. They have become a part of the team and we look forward to seeing them in the audience at future performances.”
The remaining members of SPA can hardly imagine upcoming events without the Werners, but the group remains committed to making life a little easier for the teachers of the Performing Arts Department – and making performances a little more
The Werners at one of FIS’s rst AMIS festivals (top): and receiving a bouquet of thanks for their decades-long commitment to SPA
festive for the audiences. Those interested in participating are encouraged to join SPA in the footlights by writing to SPA@ s.edu or meeting other SPA volunteers at the next event.
FIS and SPA say ‘Thank You!’ to the Werners for hundreds of hours of volunteering and for making every student and parent feel like a star. They will be hard acts to follow!
Marlene Greenberg
FIS Parent and SPA President
November 2016 FIS World 23