The Crusader - Summer 2020 - 7

AUCTION

n Saturday, February 8, over 130 supporters of Aquinas gathered at The Harbour Grille
located on the Potomac River to 'set sail' at the annual STARS Auction hosted by the PTO.
This nautical themed evening brought together current families, alumni families, and members
of our three parishes for an evening of fun and fellowship along with some pretty competitive
bidding on the many auction items. Once again, we were blessed to have Lee Laws serve as our
auctioneer. With over 30 years of experience, he generously donated his time using his unique
skills to keep the bidding lively. Logan and Katie Kraft also returned, providing the live music for
the evening; their fun, folksy style encouraged guests to sing along and get out on the dance
floor. As the evening ended, we celebrated another successful STARS Auction with over $20,000
raised through the Live Auction, the Online Auction, and the lively Tuition Angels paddle raise all in
support of our Tuition Assistance programs. Thank you to The Harbour Grille for working with us
to ensure the event went smoothly. The food was fantastic and the service impeccable.

The need for Tuition Assistance in our
Aquinas community is great and while we
receive funds from the diocese towards
this, there is always more need than funds
available. That is why fundraisers like the
auction are so important. While the STARS
Auction is a fun and enjoyable evening,
it supports a serious cause and helps
Aquinas ensure that a quality Catholic
education is affordable and accessible
for families who desire to provide this
opportunity to their children.
Tuition Angels is designed to address
short-term financial needs. This program
supports current Aquinas families who are
experiencing temporary hardships such as
the sudden loss of a job or a serious illness.
The Tuition Angels paddle raise at the
STARS Auction brought in $4,470 for this
much needed program.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS WEEK

n January, Aquinas joined with thousands
of Catholic schools across the country to
celebrate National Catholic Schools Week.
This week is a time to express gratitude
to God, our priests, our parents, and our
teachers, for the gift of a Catholic education.
Special activities during Catholic Schools
Week included a black and white day in honor
of the Dominicans; a crazy hat day to honor
the patients at St. Jude's Children's Hospital;
a red, white, and blue day to celebrate our
nation; a basketball tournament with the final
game being a play off between the winning
team and the faculty; and finally the much
anticipated annual Youth Rally with Eucharistic
Adoration and "The Restless" joining us again
to provide music for the day.

Children's Research Hospital, a pediatric
treatment and research facility focused on
children's catastrophic diseases, particularly
leukemia and childhood cancer. In a penny
war, students deposit pennies into a jug to
add to the value of the jug, and they deposit
silver coins or bills into a jug to decrease the
value. Whether the A or the B classes won
was determined by the jug with the highest
monetary value at the end of the week. This
service project raised $1,671 for St. Jude's
and the A classes were thrilled to be crowned
the winners!

This year the Aquinas community participated
in a special service project as part of Catholic
Schools week. We held a penny war
between the A classes and the B classes
with all proceeds going to benefit St. Jude

A Publication of St. Thomas Aquinas Regional School

The Crusader - Summer 2020

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