We have big plans in store for you at Friday evening's 9th annual Reach for the Stars Gala! Join us LIVE from 6:00-7:30(ish) on Friday evening for this one-time-only online event on both Facebook and YouTube. We'll be celebrating our students, teachers, and families with videos, photos, and live interviews. Don't forget that you can bid on fun prizes and offer your monetary support for scholarships and computers as well.
Make sure that you watch to see country music singer Bryan Mayer perform and talk about his time as a student at St. Paul. Other appearances are expected by Father Tully, PreK3 teachers Sheila Martinez and Erica Ellsworth, parent and staff member Charissa Sforza, parent Dr. Jennifer Ratley, and major supporters Bill Stafford and Buzzy Stubbs.
See how your generosity helps our students succeed.
How Distance Learning was born @ Saint Paul...
Honey, I need you to go to the store for me. This was the start of distance learning at Saint Paul Catholic School. What had been a possibility was now a reality. We were going to have to guide our student's education without being in the same room. We had sent textbooks home, we had been formulating plans but now we needed webcams, hence the call to my wife. We were fortunate to have just installed new computers in our computer lab but they did not come with cameras. Fast forward to Monday. Teachers have just received two hours of instruction, one webcam, one set of headphones and a new computer (ok just slightly used). All they had to do now was turn their classroom into a studio. But they had plenty of time. It was 10:00 and we did not come back until 1:00. And we had pizza ordered for noon. Time to get busy... Teachers got back together at 1:00 and by 3:00 were feeling like the first day of school was going to begin in a land far far away from their comfort zone on a day too close for comfort. My pitch to our teachers was just keep doing what you are great at, teaching, and keep your expectations in check. Tuesday afternoon came after a bit more instruction and now teachers had had their first Zoom experience in small groups and worked a few kinks out of the system while getting to see how this was all going to work the next day. They were breathing again, at last. Wednesday we met at our usual time of 7:20 to pray together, I don't remember the exact prayer but I am sure we asked for the intervention of the Holy Spirit and lots of courage. 8:00 was coming fast. Joshua Walker our HaSA president showed up to assist with any technical difficulties and then 8:00 was here. We walked from
room to room and you could hear students being welcomed into their classroom, teachers were smiling, students were engaged, all was going to be ok. We learned plenty those first days but teachers were rightfully proud of their accomplishment, we moved our entire school into our families home's with only two days' notice.
Our Gala Goal is to continue supporting the work we started this year in distance learning and ensure we are nimble in the years ahead. We have been able to ensure our students continued their academic progress this year so they are ready for their next grade level in the fall. Our commitment to our students and families is to ensure they are academically successful no matter what comes our way. We need to rebuild our computer lab since much of our new equipment was repurposed for distance learning. We also need to ensure we have equipment available to teach at school, teach from home, or even from an RV as has been tested this year. What does this look like? We would like to raise the value of tuition for two students at Saint Paul the night of our Online Gala. This is a $12,000 value. We have many benefactors who have supported us this year and thank everyone in advance that will support us May 29th and well into our future. Now it is your turn to work remotely. We can not be together for our party so we will bring the Gala to you. Whether that is your living room, bedroom or back porch. We ask you to log in, bid on an item you would like, and donate to make this year's Gala a big success. All this is for our student's success and the greater glory of God. - Deacon Dave
Come see us at the Gala!
Our Sponsors and Benefactors
Carol and Buzzy Stubbs
Coastal Carolina Foot & Ankle Care
Bayliss, Andy & Lisa
Bayliss III, T.A.
Bayliss, Andy & Lisa
BB&T
Blandford, Robert & Janette
BlueSky Wealth Advisors
Carolina East Medical Center
Dodson, Dick
Doran, Marie
Down to Clown
Early, James A.
French, Clark and Hannah
Halyak, George and Louise
Kern, Deborah
Knights of Columbus Fr. Kenneth L. Parker Assembly 1820
Knights of Columbus Msgr. James R. Jones Council 3303
Maggy Costandy Interiors
Mayer, Jill
McQuade, John and Diane
Mitchell, W.G. Champion & E.T.
Neumeister, Eleanor
Osiecki, Randi and Tom
Owings, Mary Louise
Parker, Larry and Anne
Paula's Pizza & Italian Restaurant
Plikuhn, Susan
Prose, Gary E. DDS
Salem, Smith, Register & Knott PLLC
Schrenk, Paul and Suzanne
St. Joseph Cemetery
Stelma, Jan and John
Tidewater Appliances
Turco, Cynthia L.
Vaupel, Edward J.
Walker, Joshua
Wallace, George & Margaret
Williams III, John & Judi
1. Select the link above
2. Click view items (top left) or
3. Click Register
4. Bid on an open item (Coffee cup)
5. Select Not a Bidder Yet? Sign Up
6. Enter your info. and start bidding
7. Enter bid for each item
8. Enter max bid amount
What happens next?
1. Check on your bids
2. Set a max bid if you like
3. Get text updates
4. Get email updates
5. Send this link to your friends
6. Send this link to your family
7. Come to the Gala
When can I start bidding?
The bidding and scholarship donation button is active.
Bidding will end at 7:30 PM May 29th, the evening of the Gala.
How do I know if this works?
If you want to test out your bidding skills and check to make sure you get alerts of being outbid. Then go ahead and bid on Deacon Dave's coffee cup.
Don't worry we won't charge your credit card even if you happen to be the highest bidder on this one of a kind coffee cup. But it is open for practice.
What if I win?
1. If you are at the Gala you can take your winnings with you. Bidding Owl will bill your credit card.
2. If you are in New Bern but not at the Gala you can pick up your item at Saint Paul Catholic School the
week of June 1st.
3. If you can't get to Saint Paul but live in New Bern we can deliver your winning bids to you.
4. If you live outside of New Bern we will mail your winning bid to you.
What time is dinner served?
If you purchased a ticket and are able to be generous, Saint Paul will ensure your money is used to ensure our student's success. If you want a refund for all or a portion of your ticket please send an email to dkierski@stpaulcs.org This is our largest fundraising event of the year and we are doing everything possible to make it a success, even though dinner is not being served.
