The St. John School Gala: Celebrating Catholic Education and Our Marvelous Accomplishments

The St. John School Gala, “The Roaring Twenties,” is set for the close of Catholic Schools Week! The event will be a celebration of all the marvelous things our school has accomplished under the vision of “Empowering Minds, Enriching the Spirit.” The Gala will be held on Feb. 5 in the school gym.

The goal for the fundraiser is $120,000. We are excited that we have had the largest percentage of donations received before the Gala doors open. Funds raised will be earmarked for teacher salaries.

Guests are encouraged to dress for the celebration in “flapper-era” style, or, if they prefer, in business casual. For the $75 ticket each, they will enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres, signature drinks, a DJ for dancing, and a photo booth.

“This year, Fr. John wanted to change up the format to be more of a celebration,” says Elizabeth Thrash, Director of Development and Mission Advancement. “It will be all about the school.”

Adding to the evening’s excitement will be a high-end raffle, featuring five to six top prizes. Guests can buy raffle tickets and then put their tickets in a container labeled for each item, in whatever combination they choose.

“This is giving them a higher percentage chance of winning the drawing for those items,” Elizabeth says.

There also will be an online auction for items donated by the classrooms and their teachers. Some of the items are “experiences” donated by parents, while other items are those made by the students themselves.

“We have experiences like a teacher offering a dinner with the teacher for a student and a friend, or lunch with a teacher for a student and a friend,” Elizabeth says.

There are other opportunities to help with the Gala, such as being a sponsor. The levels are: BELIEVE $3,500+; LEARN $2,500+; GROW $1,500+; LOVE $750+; SUSTAINER $250+. Letters outlining the sponsor details are being mailed.

Another opportunity is for guests to take advantage of the employer matching grant program for donations if their employers offer that capability.

St. John School students will greet guests at the Gala after celebrating their school during the previous week. They will be the embodiment for guests to learn how St. John School offers students and parents a chance to “discover the difference” in Catholic education.

“We have our STEAM class for first through fifth grades, and we have a writing program that includes Elementary Cursive Writing,” Elizabeth says. “We offer the Take Flight student program for dyslexia, accompanied by the Structured Literacy Instructions in the classroom. We offer a low student-to-teacher ratio and an emphasis on critical thinking. We also follow our Catholic faith with encouraging respect for others — and ourselves. We also really live in service, whether it’s for our church, school, or community.”

Besides donating to the Gala, there are other ways parents and guests can help, such as assisting with the raffle on the day of the Gala or by decorating the gym. They also can help at the Gala at the check-in table.

If you would like more information about the Gala, please visit this link on the school website: www.sjcs-ok.org/annual-gala For information about assisting with the Gala, please call Elizabeth Thrash at 918-336-0607, or contact Cristel Miller, Principal, at principal@sjcs-ok.org.

Eighth-grade students made a retreat with Fr. John.

St. John School students engage in service projects in the community. Here, a student helps sort items at the food pantry.