Funny way to make a living

     Frank Santorelli said his name, in Italian, means “small saint.”

     “Neither of which I am,’’ he said.

     Santorelli is a professional stand-up comedian that lives in Waltham. He performs all over the United States, but mostly in New England. On Thursday April 30, he will headline a fund-raiser for the Cunniff Elementary School for the second straight year.

     “I did a show last night in Waltham for St. Jude’s Church [for the eighth year in a row],’’ he said. “Through word of mouth, they found out I did a benefit for St. Jude’s and they, in turn, wanted to do one for the Cunniff School.’’

      He has hundreds and hundreds of jokes. He listens to what people say, and if it is funny, he makes a mental note and turns it into a joke.

        He grew up in Cleveland and moved to Boston because of the comedy scene. He has been a professional stand-up comedian since 1981, but, “I have been a comedian my whole life,’’ he said.

     “From the time I was your age, I’ve been making my Mom and Dad laugh, by balancing things on my nose and stuff like that.”

     In 1976, he was voted “class clown” and “loudest” in his senior class.

     “I’m a professional comedian. That’s how I make my living,’’ he said. “Other people sell cars, some people are teachers. I’m a stand-up comic. That’s how I make my living, by making people laugh.”

     Santorelli, the father of two daughters, is also an actor. He played Georgie the bartender in “The Sopranos.’’ He was in 16 out of 87 episodes over eight years. He has also been in “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Spin City,” “Las Vegas,” and “Providence.” In 1996, he had his own sitcom, “Let’s Be Frank,’’ in which he played a policeman, but it never made it to TV.

     He will be performing at the Cunniff fund-raiser April 30, but it will be nowhere near his biggest audience. He performed for 5,000 people at Mohegan Sun opening for Frankie Valli &  the Four Seasons.

     “From the time I was very, very young, I knew I wanted to be a comedian,’’ he said. “It’s a gift being able to make people laugh. If you can do it, you should cherish the fact that you can do that.”

Days to enjoy “Starry Night”

     Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings were recaptured and put in the Cunniff School lobby, so students can learn about the famous man and his art.

     There are six paintings in the lobby -- four landscapes, one self-portrait, and one painting of beautiful irises.

     In the lobby there are laptops and journals so people can write or type their opinion of the paintings.

     The painting of irises was brought in to the school by Cunniff principal Stephen Billhardt and is called “Vase of Irises.” He said it is his favorite painting.

     The other paintings are called, “Starry Night,” “Trees in the Garden of Saint-Paul Hospital,” and “Cafe Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night.”

     “I like how the lobby looks like a mini art gallery,” Billhardt said.

    Jessica Gillooly, the Cunniff’s art teacher, said her favorite painting from the exhibit is “Starry Night.” She said she likes “Starry Night” because she likes how Vincent made different colors for the wind.

     Gillooly said she loves the textures of his paintings and the red background of the self-portrait.

“Shade” fills room with cool sounds

    Some of the parts of the show were funny and a lot of people tried to get everyone to clap. 

     “It’s a great way to celebrate Youth Art Month,” said Jessica Gillooly, who has taught art at the Cunniff School for two years.

     To celebrate opening night, on March 16 from 6-8 p.m., teachers from all five Watertown schools will be at the mall and free ice cream will be served to students and parents.

     About 100 students from the Cunniff will have their work displayed, said Gillooly. She said it is hard to decide and she only has a small space to fit 100 pieces.

     She said she chooses a project from each grade. She uses three steps to help her pick which ones to display.

      “First, I look to see if it was completed on time,” she said, “Second, I see if they put their name on it. And third, I look to see if they followed all of my learning objectives.”

      She said a student will only have one piece displayed.

      She said there will be a variety of different art at the show: paintings, collages, weavings, sculptures, print making, and seascapes.

      The event is free and open to the public.

Winter Concert warms hearts

 
By SHANNON M.
Cunniff Kids News staff reporter
     Watch out Boston Pops, the Cunniff School had its Winter Concert and it was off the charts!

     The concert was held Dec. 16 in the Cunniff cafetorium. The first group of students to perform was the fourth-grade band. Students played instruments, including the trumpet and saxophone. They wowed the audience with the sing, “Jingle Bells.”

     Then the members of the fifth-grade band succeeded in amazing the crowd with how much effort they put into playing their instruments. Fifth-grade students also played the drums and the clarinet.

     After the fifth-grade band came the fourth-grade strings. The fourth-grade strings -- students played the violin and cello -- surprised the audience by how much they learned in just a couple of months.

     After the fourth grade came the fifth-grade strings. They were outstanding.

     The finale was the fourth- and fifth-grade chorus, who sang “Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key,” “Auld Lang Syne,” “Iko Iko,” and “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” Several students helped the chorus by joining them on the violin.

     Overall, the annual concert was a terrific success.

-Jan. 6, 2009-