HAMILTON — One could easily argue Anita Evetts was born to be a teacher.
She had a piano in her second-grade classroom at Cutler Elementary in Hamilton and would play and sing with her students every day.
"She was brilliant at connecting with all children," said Janie Bellenis, a teaching assistant at Cutler and close friend of Evetts. "She was incredibly vibrant and fun. She made learning very fun."
Evetts died in September 2009, four months after being diagnosed with cancer.
She will be remembered tomorrow at a coffeehouse fundraiser for a scholarship created in her memory. Planned for 2 to 5 p.m. at Miles River Middle School, tomorrow's event features live music by local performers and a few Evetts family members, as well as auctions.
"It's the kind of event (Evetts) would have loved to come to," Bellenis said.
A Baltimore native, Evetts lived in England with her family for 20 years before moving to Hamilton in 2000. She was soon involved in the Hamilton-Wenham community and became a teacher at Cutler in 2005, Bellenis said. Her daughter, Anna, graduated from Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in 2007 and now attends the Pratt Institute in New York.
In the classroom, Evetts had an "out of the box" teaching style that involved drawing and singing, Bellenis said.
"She threw herself into everything she did," Bellenis said.
The Anita Evetts Shine On Scholarship was established soon after Evetts died by the Cutler community, which was reeling in the loss of a beloved teacher and colleague.
The Evetts scholarship has been given to Hamilton-Wenham graduates for the past two years; the fund is managed by the Essex County Community Foundation.
To apply, students must write an essay about a mentor that has helped them "shine on," as Evetts did for so many. When the scholarship is given at a spring awards ceremony, the student and the mentor are honored, Bellenis said.
IF YOU GO ...
What: "Songs in September" fundraiser
To benefit: Scholarship in memory of Anita Evetts
When: Sunday, Sept. 25, 2 to 5 p.m.
Where: Miles River Middle School, 787 Bay Road (Route 1A), Hamilton
Admission: $10 per person with a $20 cap per family
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