Sandy Holiday Concert Raises $1,770 for Local Schools

The goal of Saturday night’s “Singing for Sandy” holiday concert in Island Park was two-fold: to put residents in the holiday spirit and to raise money for Hurricane Sandy victims.  

It’s safe to say that both goals were accomplished.

More than 100 people attended the concert at The Hub in Island Park, with a total of $1,770 raised from ticket sales and donations. The money raised goes directly towards helping rebuild Long Beach, Oceanside and Island Park Schools damaged in Hurricane Sandy.

The concert was directed by Ashley Nicastro and produced by Courtney Pincus of “To The Stage," with accompaniment by Glenn Weiss, an Oceanside Middle School teacher.

“I think it went extremely well considering we only had five rehearsals and that every one took off their own time to do this,” said Nicastro, a ‘10 graduate of Oceanside HS.

“It was very rewarding seeing so many members of the community come together to support our cast as well as donate towards a good cause,” she said, adding that her original goal was to earn at least $1,000 in donations.

For $10 a ticket, residents got to see local performers ages five to 20 singing holiday classics, including favorites such as Santa Baby, White Christmas and Silent Night.

An original song called “Good Ol Oceanside” was also performed, written and composed by Weiss. The song paid tribute to the generosity and overall unity of residents following Hurricane Sandy.

Desserts and drinks were also served, with extra donations pouring in at the tables. 

The students also paid tribute to the Newton shooting victims by singing "My Grown up Christmas list" and placing candles on the stage in memory of the people who lost their lives.

The concert featured the following Oceanside, Island Park, and Long Beach students: Mary Corbett, Angelina De Monte, Antonia De Monte, Sabrina Franza, Dari Goldman, Thomas Hirdt, Jessica Jacoby, Matthew Kear, Dean Klebonas, Deanna Mayo, John Milano, Patrick Michaelis, Ashley Nicastro, Tristan Rowley, Christian Savarese.

And students of “To The Stage!”: Morgan Brennan, Jenna Flynn, Samantha Cinetti, Emily Jacoby, Kallie Koubiadis, Maeve Smith, and Jackie Balsan.

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Disclosure: Ashley Nicastro is the sister of Patch editor Steven Nicastro.