Celebration With A Cause
Dr. Glenn Medeiros (second from left), president of Saint Louis School, and students, from left, Ryder Brink (10th grade), Jonah Borja (seventh grade) and Duke Hironaka (fifth grade) stand in front of the school’s Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center, where the 18th annual Grape Escape will take place on April 26.
Saint Louis School president Dr. Glenn Medeiros invites the community to attend this week’s Grape Escape, an annual event that provides financial aid for its students.
For one night only, Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center at Saint Louis School will be transformed into a high-class dining room for the school’s 18th annual Grape Escape, themed “A Taste of Italy.” The event, which takes place at 5:30 p.m. April 26, will be filled with scrumptious food, delicious wine and, most importantly, a great cause.
“In addition to supporting our educational programs and providing tuition aid for our students in need, we plan to help the Red Cross with L.A. Wildfire initiatives for families affected by recent wildfires,” says Dr. Glenn Medeiros, president of Saint Louis School.
The event came to be 18 years ago thanks to Dwight Otani, chair of the marketing and development committee and a ’73 alum; Blenn Fujimoto, a ’76 graduate; and Michael Hogan, former chair of the SLS board of trustees.
Grape Escape’s humble beginnings can be traced back to a little tent next to Mamiya Theatre. From there, it moved to the school’s baseball field, then the football field, until it finally found a home for the past five years at Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Center.
Medeiros notes that Otani is one of the school’s strongest supporters as a donor and as an alumnus, and that the event was created as a way for the school to raise funds for tuition aid.
Currently, tuition ranges from $16,000 to $20,000.
“A lot of the kids who come to Saint Louis School, some of them, can’t afford the ticket price, so we offer financial aid for a lot of our students,” says Medeiros. “It really becomes the X factor (as to) whether they come to Saint Louis School or not.
“This event means the world to us because it helps many of our constituents achieve their dreams of attending SLS.”
With financial aid and scholarships combined, SLS contributes $3 million a year of financial assistance to its students.
Grape Escape also provides money to help develop programs, such as robotics teams at high school, middle school and elementary school levels.
Furthermore, the school is adding the American Red Cross to its list of beneficiaries to help with the wildfires that took place in Los Angeles earlier this year.
“With the wildfires happening when we were planning this Grape Escape, we felt that it would be nice for us to be able to have a portion of it go toward helping that,” says Medeiros. “We want to teach our students the power of giving and being of service to others. So, hopefully, we can be a good example for our students, and so that it makes just a little bit of a difference — not just for the school. We’re part of a much bigger community.”
This year’s event is expected to draw 400-500 guests.
“I see a lot of the same people coming every year. They’re always really proud to support Saint Louis School,” says Medeiros. “Often people have little to no connections to our school but they know our mission and they know we’re trying to make a difference out there.”
The event will feature food catered by MW Restaurant that will be served by faculty and staff. While MW is not known for its Italian cuisine, for this special evening, the biz will be serving Italian fusion.
Attendees can also anticipate a wide selection of wines and look forward to Grape Escape’s signature wall of wines.
There will be a live auction with prizes such as hotel stays and different activities.
The grand prize is always something relevant to the theme. This year, a lucky winner will win a trip to New York where they can dine at one of the restaurants in Little Italy.
“It’s not Italy, but it’s on the way there,” jokes Medeiros.
Upon first entering Grape Escape, event-goers will also be treated to the beautiful sounds of the school’s choir, which will be singing Italian songs. Local band Hawaiian Soul will provide entertainment for the rest of the night.
“We like to play music every year that we can dance to,” says Medeiros. “People love dancing — maybe it’s because of the good wine, I don’t know. There’s a lot of dancing.”
For Medeiros, the Grape Escape signifies a lot of different things.
“It’s a big way to help our families be able to be a part of Saint Louis School,” he says. “It’s a real celebration and, for me, that’s important that we’re not just educating students, we’re building community.”
Saint Louis School was originally ‘Ahuimanu College and started in 1846. According to its website, its mission is “to educate and challenge students of various religious, ethnic and economic backgrounds to achieve excellence and become gentlemen of character.
“We challenge our students to reach individual potential through the Catholic Marianist tradition of spiritual academic, physical and emotional maturity.”
Medeiros became president of the school in 2015.
“Someone told me about the opportunity. I did not think in a million years that I would get it at the time,” says Medeiros, who had previously been vice principal at Maryknoll School from 2006 to 2014.
Before he took on administrative positions, Medeiros was a teacher himself, and taught everything from kindergarten to college courses.
He got his start at Mililani Middle School, where he instructed students in math and special education classes. He even co-wrote the school song. (This may come as no surprise to some as Medeiros was an ’80s pop star with his worldwide hit Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You and his No. 1 song She Ain’t Worth It with Bobby Brown.)
Medeiros notes that it was his teachers — specifically Arnold Meister, his music teacher at Kōloa Elementary School, and Larry McIntosh, his band teacher at Kaua‘i High and Intermediate School — who inspired him to follow in their footsteps.
“I had wonderful teachers that made me want to become a teacher myself because I saw the impact that they were making not only on me, but all of my friends,” he says. “Then I knew early on that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an educator.”
Today, Medeiros can help be that same inspiration to students and do his part to ensure that they have the opportunity to attend Saint Louis School through the help of fundraising events such as Grape Escape.
“Saint Louis School is making a major impact in the lives of many young men here in Hawai‘i’s only all boys Catholic Marianist school,” he says. “Any support you can give to SLS is deeply appreciated.
“If you want to have a great time, meet a lot of incredible people, enjoy some of the best food and wine, this is the place to go.”
For more information and to RSVP, contact Ellie Ventula-Honda at 808-497-9052 or Nada Ashrafi at 808-739-4828, or email grapeescape@saintlouishawaii.org.
