To the Band of Brothers: February 4, 2022

Thank God! After last year’s celebration of a virtual Tombola, we are back in the swing of things with this year’s event. For the last few days, the campus has been buzzing with excitement and anticipation for this weekend event that brings more people to our school than any other. While there is no question the money raised is essential and much needed for our financial assistance program, it is the gathering of the community that is of greatest importance.

 

Belen staff and delegate parents have been working nonstop to get things ready. The place looks like an ant colony with people moving in all directions, carrying things, placing them here and there, with the sole purpose of opening our gates tonight for the Culinary Extravaganza and everything else.

 

A few years back, we started the t-shirt competition that gave one of you guys the opportunity to design the official Tombola t-shirt. This year’s winner is Carlos Erdmann ’26 and we couldn’t be happier with the design. Following the theme of “Que siga la tradición,” Carlos created this year’s logo having each letter of the word “tombola” represent the spirit of our tradition.

 

Instead of explaining it myself, I will let Carlos do it:

“The logo has meaning behind it as it starts with the Cuban flag and ends with the American flag symbolizing that Belen has kept its traditions from Cuba, where it all started, to America where we are now. All of the letters symbolize different things about Belen and/or the traditions of Tombola. The T represents the Cuban flag which is where BJPS originated. The globe signifies Belen moving to the U.S. You can see white dots on the globe that show where it started and where we are now. The pencils symbolize the school/learning aspect of Belen. The giant B obviously resembles the school logo. The second O shows the traditional Ferris Wheel that you can find at the fair. The L is one of my favorite snacks, cotton candy. Lastly, the A represents where we are now, in the USA.”

 

I love it!

 

So, as you walk around the campus this weekend, be sure to see the shirt and its logo worn by faculty and staff. And, if you happen to see Carlos (which I am sure you will), be sure to slap him on the back and congratulate him for such an ingenious design. Better still, if you see his parents, congratulate them. I am sure there is no one prouder.

 

Auspice Maria.