The Bear Facts
April 5, 2014
Good morning! I’m Jake Hamilton!
I’m Brittany Kirsch!
I’m Kara Eischen!
And I’m Erin Quinlin! Welcome to a special edition of the “Bear Facts”, where we’re celebrating Gala here at Bishop Garrigan High School.
For twenty-five years now Gala has been the biggest fundraiser for the Bishop Garrigan schools. The annual dinner and auction has brought in almost five million dollars over the years. Thanks to Gala we’ve been able to update technology and teaching supplies, make renovations on our facilities, and build an endowment to keep our school going strong into the future.
It takes an army of people to run Gala each year. This year’s chairpeople are Joe and Brenda Capesius, Brian and Karen Thilges, and Andy and Jean Kuper. They work with the development staff: Mindy Laubenthal, Mary Quinlin, and Allison Rosenmeyer. In addition to them more than 200 parents, teachers, and friends of the school have helped out with planning, construction, decorations, and publicity for Gala. About twenty art students helped transform the gym into a ballroom, and fifty-four more will be working tonight as waiters and valets.
On top of the volunteers, there’s literally hundreds of people and businesses who have donated both money and merchandise that will be auctioned off and used as raffle prizes for Gala. All year long there have been gift gathering parties where items have been acquired for this evening’s celebration. Thanks to everyone who has helped out to make Gala a huge success for each of the past twenty-five years!
The focus of Gala each year is the meal. The silver anniversary dinner begins with appetizers including turkey won tons with sweet and sour sauce, crab cakes with orange aioli, and miniature croque monsieur sandwiches with tomato jam.
The formal meal starts with roasted root vegetable soup topped with carrot drizzle and chives. The salad is fresh field greens with raspberry lambic beer dressing, shaved parmesan, and candied pecans. That’s followed by the main course of roast tenderloin of beef with tawny port sauce.
On the side guests will enjoy roasted green beans, as well as gourmet mashed potatoes blended with mascarpone and parmesan cheese and bacon. Then for dessert there’s lemon semifreddo adorned with silver and crystal.
Throughout the evening guests will bid on live and silent auction items. There’s also a car raffle, a recreational vehicle raffle, and a “dream” raffle for home improvement items. The Key Club provides the chance to win gas cards, the First Chance raffle wins cash, tuition, or Gala bucks, Last chance provides a $2000 travel voucher, and there’s more prizes available through the Chest of Chance and Half Chance raffles. All those prizes make Gala a fun night for everyone and a great fundraiser for the school.
This past Thursday several Garrigan juniors went on a trip up to Minneapolis, where they helped out at the Caring and Sharing Hands Mission often called Mary’s Place. They helped prepare the morning and noon meals and toured the vast facilities at the complex. This is one of three trips Garrigan’s Christian Leadership in Action students will be making to Mary’s place in April. Other students will be going next Thursday and on the Wednesday of Holy Week.
Next Friday Garrigan will be hosting the annual blood drive for students at the two high schools in Algona. Health teacher Marty Wadle is organizing this year’s blood drive, and several Garrigan students will be helping out with the event. Garrigan students will give blood in the morning, while Algona High students will donate in the afternoon. We’re hoping for a lot of first time donors at the drive on Friday, April 11.
Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Kara Eischen. Here to tell you about them is Taylor Hovey.
Kara is someone you’ve heard regularly on the “Bear Facts” all this year. She’s a Wesley native who is involved in a wide range of school activities. Kara is an award-winning athlete in volleyball, basketball, and softball, and she’s also been successful in choir, speech, Christian Leadership in Action, and quiz bowl. She’s also a Eucharistic minister at school masses. Kara will be off to Simpson College in the fall, and we wish her the very best in the future.
Thanks, Taylor! On our Golden Bear calendar, tonight is the silver anniversary for Gala. There’s a mass for workers at 4pm, and the big event begins at 7:00.
Monday a team from Garrigan will be competing in the state Envirothon. Then on Tuesday there’s girls track at Clear Lake, and the boys golf team hosts North Iowa and Estherville Lincoln Central.
We’ll have mass on Wednesday, plus an early dismissal for teacher inservice. Thursday there’s another Christian Leadership trip to the Mary’s place mission in Minneapolis.
Also on Thursday there’s boys track at North Iowa and boys golf at Ft. Dodge. Next Friday is the blood drive, and that night there’s golf vs. Spencer and Emmetsburg and the girls track team hosts the Bishop Garrigan Relays.
That’s the “Bear Facts” for Gala week. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to join us again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.
