March 27, 2017 (TAMPA, Fla.) – Academy of the Holy Names President Art Raimo announced at the Black and White By the Bay auction that Academy parents Barbara and Anthony Scarpo have contributed $1.35 million to the school’s facilities master plan and its endowment. The annual fundraising gala raised a staggering $400,000 for the school. During the live auction, $50,000 was raised for Fund-an-Item. This year, Fund-an-Item supported school STEM initiatives, including launching the Project Lead the Way engineering program in the high school and enhancing the middle school robotics program.
Anthony Scarpo is the owner of Anthony Louis Ltd., a diamond import company, and, along with Barbara, is a managing partner of First Trust Funding Group LLC. The theatre in the Bailey Family Center for the Arts will be named the Scarpo Family Theatre in honor of their daughters Olivia, an eighth-grader, and Sophia, a fifth-grader at the school. The Scarpos felt inspired to give to the school after seeing the education it has offered their daughters. “It was an easy decision for our family to support the Academy of the Holy Names after witnessing the transformation of Olivia and Sophia into young women with a deep foundation of faith and love. As parents, we believe the greatest gift that we pass on to our children is the example of selfless love and giving. By opening our hearts to God, we have heard his call to give without hesitation to our cherished Academy of the Holy Names,” Barbara Scarpo said.
In addition to the Scarpo’s gift, the Academy has also received $1 million gifts towards the master plan from the Bailey Family Foundation and Melanie and Richard Gonzmart, as well as $500,000 each from the Yodzis family, Kathy and Ray Hyer, and Ruth and Fred Lynch. The school will open the 40,000-square-foot, $11 million Bailey Family Center for the Arts next month, featuring a 350-seat theatre and a state-of-the-art teaching and learning environment. This summer, the school will begin transforming its academic spaces with the addition of a dedicated middle school building, designed with 21st century learning spaces, flexible furnishings, and abundant technology.
Proceeds from Black and White By the Bay enable the school to augment students’ educational and co-curricular experiences, provide professional development opportunities for faculty and staff, and support families in need through tuition assistance. Held at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay on March 25, some 500 Academy parents, alumni, faculty, staff and friends donned their finest black-and-white attire to enjoy an evening featuring a silent and live auction, a sold-out Wine Wall, a jewelry pull from Kendra Scott and music from DeLeon Entertainment.
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The Academy of the Holy Names is an independent, Catholic, coeducational elementary school and a college preparatory high school for young women, sponsored by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. The Academy provides quality educational opportunities for students of diverse ethnic, economic and religious backgrounds. Founded in 1881, the Academy is the oldest school in the Tampa Bay area and is located at 3319 Bayshore Boulevard. To learn more about the Academy of the Holy Names, please refer to www.holynamestpa.org.