By Jenn Wright
Staff Writer
Organized by SLA’s Home and School Association, the third annual Silent Auction raised money to support sports and academic interests of the school.
The auction happened on March 23, 2012 and was open to members of the SLA community ages 21 and older. This is the second year it was hosted at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Old City Philadelphia.
Items available for bidding included vacation homes, pieces by local artists and photography lessons from SLA’s own DigVid and History Teacher Douglas Herman.
Raffling off baskets full of goodies from Phillies tickets to Irish-themed fare, the support of attendees in buying auction items is vital to its success.
This year, attendance reached full capacity at 200 people, and the night included appetizers, a full buffet dinner, drinks, and dessert catered by the Chemical Heritage Foundation.
A highlight of the night was the live music by a group of SLA parents Ben Burenstein, Jay Klales, Music Teacher Ben Diamond, and Principal Intern Chad Mote called the RetroRockets. Principal Lehmann performed with the group, singing “Moondance.”
The ticket included access to the Chemical Heritage Museum exhibits as well as the use of docents to guide them.
SLA Counselor Zoe Siswick said, “it was a beautiful facility and it was a really great opportunity to view the exhibits during the evening.”
Parent and Silent Auction Chair Randi Kessler spoke to commitment of the SLA community to this event.
“Between this and EduCon, these are the two gigantic fundraisers that the outpouring of parent and faculty support is amazing.”
Senior Jeff Kessler was also a big part of the planning, working as a member of the Silent Auction committee making spreadsheets and using his organizational skills to advance the process of planning.
Taking the economy into account, the cost to host an event such as this has gone up substantially. This year, all donations were solicited or donated by parents in the SLA community. Fortunately, the Chemical Heritage Foundation worked with SLA on the price to host the event at their facility.
The proceeds from last year’s auction helped pay for this year’s music program, field trips, and other benefits to SLA.
Being one of the school’s largest fundraisers, Ms. Kessler noted that, “with the school budget cuts that have been really dramatic, we depend on the money from the auction even more.”