From The Beginning To “That ‘70s Gala”
September 09, 2013
A BRIEF HISTORY
As a private school, we all know fundraising is a fundamental element to the longevity of any institution. As much as we depend on the incredible generosity of our donors, Mrs. Hansard knew early on that fundraising of this magnitude was no small task. Determined to begin hosting an annual school-wide fundraiser, Mrs. Hansard and a core team of visionaries and passionate, tireless volunteers brought us the 1st Annual Green and Gold Gala in the Fall of 2009.1st Annual Green and Gold Gala
Hosted out of the upper gymnasium on the campus of SBA, this first event was no simple miracle to pull off. Through a combination of a core group of Academy staff, combined with volunteers that literally saved the day, this event was a great success! The focus of this first fundraiser was our 21st Century Technology Initiative, raising funds to support much-needed upgrades school-wide in the area of classroom and staff technology. The big upgrade that year was a full transition from PCs to a Macintosh environment, providing quality, stability, and the best educational tools in the industry. As would be a constant every year, a portion of the funds raised would also go into a student scholarship fund designed for those families who found themselves under financial duress.2nd Annual Green and Gold Round-Up
Again hosted in the upper gym at Silverdale, this second time around was much smoother than before! Our attendance was larger than before as well, and our gala chairs Ryan and Courtnie May pulled off a wonderful western-themed event. Complete with live student-led demonstrations on a SMART Board, iPad, and music recording suite, this fundraiser was aimed at furthering the reach of last year's giving. The 21st Century Technology Initiative was being realized with the addition of iPads for all teachers, and interactive whiteboards in select classrooms. Jed Mescon of WRCB Channel 3 News joined us this year as our celebrity auctioneer, and what a blast he was! We had a new problem on our hands this year though - we were all out of space!3rd Annual Fabulous Fifties Gala
The Fabulous Fifties Gala took us off campus for the first time, as we needed more event space than the Silverdale campus would allow. In the world of fundraising, this is definitely a good problem to have. Gala chairs John and Sandy Shadden headed up a committee that put together another fabulous event at The Colonnade in Ringgold, GA, a venue that had the best of everything for an event like this. The silent auction was well-attended and our guests were treated to live pre-program music from our very own Mr. and Mrs. Rayburn and SBA alums-turned-faculty, Evan and Ginger Pierce. The classic cars out front and the glass bottle Cokes only added to the nostalgia of the evening. The fundraising efforts of this year were aimed at campus expansion even before the plans were fully realized for the new high school building we have on campus today. Jed Mescon again joined us as our celebrity auctioneer and worked the crowd all night, keeping the auction paddles high in the air while the humor and energy seemingly never stopped.4th Annual Mexican Fiesta Gala
The latest event, our 4th Annual Mexican Fiesta, again took us to The Colonnade for an evening of live mariachi music, plenty of chips and salsa, and of course, raising funds for SBA. Gala chairs Kirk and Bethany Rogers led a team who produced another outstanding event. With the new high school building a very real project at this point, Mrs. Hansard didn't shy away from the fact that we needed to raise big money for this project to be a reality - and people stepped up. This evening really was a realization of the progress the Academy had seen in so few years of existence. Three seniors gave their personal testimonies of what Silverdale means to them, including one who spoke of their deep gratitude for being chosen as the recipient of a student scholarship.[gallery type="rectangular" link="none" ids="213,214,215,216,217,218,219,220"]5th Annual "That '70s Gala"
So here we are, going into year five having outgrown our own campus for this event and raising over $500,000 to date! We're looking forward again to the great things that will come from this year's 5th Annual "That '70's Gala" and hope you'll join us for this special evening. You can find more details on the gala page of our website by clicking here, but here's some of the details - mark your calendars now!
Friday, October 4th, 2013 | The Colonnade • Ringgold, GA | Silent Auction: 5:30pm - 8:30pm | Dinner and Program: 6:30pm
For details on this event or to become a corporate sponsor, contact Chris Neighbors in the Development Office by email or by phone at 423-892-2319 ext. 2223. Let's make this year the best yet!