From our family to yours, we wish you the merriest of holiday celebrations. We hope that these days have been filled with peace and laughter, joy and rejuvenation, for you and your loved ones.
Our office is closed through January 1. We will reopen Thursday, January 2, 2014.
We gathered together recently for a wonderful Scholastica Christmas and retirement celebration at the Robertshaw Country House Bed and Breakfast.
This is the first time we have held an event at the Robertshaw Country House. We were all struck by the beauty of this bed and breakfast! We started the celebration with a tour of the rooms and were charmed by the peaceful location. Everyone felt right at home. Everywhere was decorated for Christmas and really put us all in the Christmas spirit! One banquet room held dozens of nativities from all over the world! The day started with delicious appetizers and warming wassel, followed by an absolutely delicious homemade luncheon of turkey and all of the fixings. Many of us are hosts for Christmas and truly enjoyed eating a wonderful homemade meal without our own preparation. The meal was topped off with a rich peppermint bark cheesecake that we just had to make room for.
Retirement Celebration
We not only celebrated the Christmas season together but also a new season in the lives of two of our beloved colleagues. Sue Loughner and Cathy DiPietro both retired this year!
Cathy and Sue are both are skilled reservationists. Sue handled all arrangements for Washington D.C. and Cathy made all bookings for New York City, Chicago, and Toronto. Cathy and Sue both formed strong relationships with all of our vendors. They made the effort to know the staff within these companies personally and operate on a first name basis with many. For them, vendors were never viewed as a transaction but rather as an extended team of colleagues working together with a common goal: create amazing travel experiences for students.
We certainly miss their upbeat presence in the office. Although retired, they certainly aren’t sitting still!
Sue retired this July and has been very busy taking care of her parents and enjoying time with her husband and family. Since retiring in May, Cathy was given a new title: grandma! She welcomed her first grandson into the world in June and her second grandchild will arrive this spring. Cathy has been busy gardening and cooking Italian dishes for her family. These two aren’t slowing down anytime soon! Congratulations Sue and Cathy! We wish you the very best.
25th Year Celebration
Finally, we commemorated a very special year in the career of our travel agent Nancy Peksa! Nancy has been a part of the Scholastica family for 25 years! She is an asset to our team and has been an integral part of our growth and development. Nancy received several special gifts, but she really loved her “Santa on the Go!” We are so proud to have her on our team!
Merry Christmas everyone!