Andrea McEwen—Collecting Those Amazing Auction Prizes

Five years ago, Andrea McEwen and her family moved to Studio City from a small town in upstate New York. Her son was entering first grade, and she wanted to help out at .

Now that her son is heading to , she is being honored, and is happy to look back.

“I was welcomed immediately, and I love the community,” she says. “Studio City is like having a city at our fingertips, but it feels like a small town, and I love that.” 

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT.  McEwen found her niche collecting auction items for the big year-end fundraiser that makes the most money for the school. She has helped get some of the fundraising online.

This year, the website has its own PFC Network (Parents for Carpenter). There are video presentations of the auction items, much like the Shopping Network, presented in entertaining ways. The auction items include an incredible list—a no-scapel vasectomy, baseball tickets, Broadway tickets, a sailing trip for eight and more. 

“We’ve been putting together a better and better auction every year,” she says. “There are many people from entertainment industry in the school so we have some really incredible things.”

This year, there’s a VIP tour of The Office set and a catered lunch with the cast, a Les Paul guitar autographed by Slash, America Idol finale tickets and more.

“It’s hard to pick the coolest items, there’s a villa in France, fun travel items, some amazing things,” McEwen says.

She has see the school transform from a non-charter to a charter-affiliated school. “I love that the charter is part of the school now,” she says. “I love the new identity of the school.”

WISHES FOR THE FUTURE OF CARPENTER? “I’m really focused on the enrichment, and I want that to continue,” she says. “The community around the school is a big part of our fundraisers and the people know that everybody is involved.” 

The local businesses know that the parents are dedicated to the improvement of the school. “Businesses know that the village makes the school and that everybody is involved,” McEwen says. “I don’t know how it is at other schools, but here the parents and the community are passionate about what goes on in the school.”