Hollandale Christian School set to hold its annual auction this Friday night

HOLLANDALE — Last year the annual Sellebration Auction at Hollandale Christian School, a school of about 77 students, raised roughly $36,000 to help with tuition costs and the upkeep of the school.

This year, organizers are hoping to do just as well.

“We’d love to hit the $40,000 mark, but whatever God is willing for us to raise, we’ll accept graciously,” co-chairman Shawn McCarthy said.

Part of the goal of raising money is purchasing Smart Boards for every classroom. According to McCarthy, the school has three Smart Boards and the next one will be for the first and second grades.

“The teachers find it’s a good interactive tool with the students and the students get more interested in learning when they have a hands-on visual,” McCarthy said.

The auction kicks off Friday night at 5:30 p.m. with a light meal of pulled-pork sandwiches, Mrs. Gerry’s potato salad and homemade treats. The meal will be donated and catered by Melissa McCornack, who runs Moejoes, a catering business in Geneva.

A silent auction is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 6:45 p.m. Some of the items on the silent auction this year will be toy tractors, tools, books, gift baskets, home decor, hiking boots, clothes and gift certificates.

At the conclusion of the meal and silent auction, auctioneer Greg Jensen will call a live auction.

“As far as I know, he’s been doing it since we started,” McCarthy said. “The people like him, and he gets good participation.”

Items on the live auction will include water park passes to Mount Olympus in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., Chanhassen Dinner Theatre tickets, a 52-inch flatscreen TV, black powder guns, shotguns, home decor, kayaks, yard games, fire rings, local art, taxidermy, coffee table with a pheasant mounted in it, 30-minute airplane rides, rounds of golf, baked goods, handmade American Girl doll clothing and handmade quilts.

In total, there are about 125 items on the live auction.

Most of the items were donated from the Austin, Albert Lea and Geneva communities.

“I think the Hollandale school kind of gets forgotten because we’re a way out of town, so it’s wonderful that people recognize it,” co-chairwoman Tami Jerdee said.

As usual, the fifth- and sixth-grade classes write solicitation letters to businesses asking for donations to the auction.

“It’s a good way for kids to write and type a formal letter,” McCarthy said. “It shows them correct addressing, the formalities of writing a formal letter and instead of a teacher going through it, what is better than having a business respond?”

Also the same from past auctions are the class projects.

Each class does a project to be auctioned off.

“Those are probably our biggest selling items if you believe it,” McCarthy said. “If it’s things the kids have made, the parents and grandparents just eat it up.”

This year the first- and second-grade class has decorated a handmade wooden toy box. The kindergarten class made a stepping stone with their handprints and embellished it with shells and gems. The third and fourth grades made a photo book.

There will also be three calendars up for grabs that have pictures and the birthdays of all the students.

McCarthy said one year a garden gift basket made by the kindergartners sold for about $1,200.

“There are wonderful families out there that are willing to donate,” Jerdee said. “They don’t really care what they get in return, they just want to help the school out.”

Jerdee estimated the Sellebration Auction helps each student with 10 percent of their tuition.

One thing has changed from other years is that child care will no longer be provided.

“We’re testing it out,” Jerdee said.

Jerdee said it shouldn’t be a problem though because the event is very family-oriented.

McCarthy said the auction usually lasts until 9 or 9:30 p.m.