Some 650 people packed the Garrison Forest School Campus Center for the school’s Centennial Gala in mid-October. As guests entered for the pre-dinner reception, they were greeted with “A Walk Through the Forest,” the themed cocktail area designed by alumna Tiffany Zappulla of TAZ Designs. Rustic wicker furniture, trees and antler chandeliers overhead added to the forest feeling, and 10 hanging panels displayed vintage photos from each of the school’s 10 decades. A two-story pictorial panel of the school’s original farmhouse structure (torn down in the early 1960s) served as a backdrop for posed portraits of guests. Behind the panel, the main dinner area and stage awaited, decked in shades of the school colors of light and dark blue. Greeting guests were Head of School Peter O’Neill, Centennial Chair Karen Ruppert and Gala Chair Emily Gardner Baratta. After the cocktail hour, guests headed into the main area for an evening of dinner, heartfelt toasts and dancing to the lively sounds of the band NightLife. “The forest theme was always in our minds,” said Ruppert, regarding planning for the event. “The night was such a wonderful celebration of the GFS community.”
