WOOLWICH CENTRAL SCHOOL social studies teacher Leanne Fisher and eighth-graders Wade Bradford, Olivia Fuller and Courtney Nicolino stand with auction items that are on display in the school’s main hallway. The items will be part of the student auction that takes place on Saturday in the school gym.
Woolwich Central School eighth-graders will host a student led auction Saturday in the school’s gymnasium. The auction was originally scheduled for April 1, but was rescheduled due to a snowstorm.
Students have spent the past few months collecting items donated from local businesses and community members for the auction, and have subsequently secured more than 500 items. The funds brought in from the auction will go toward the eighth grade class trip to Washington D.C. in June.
This is the 10th year students have raised money for the trip through an auction.
“This year’s class has secured more items than any other class before them,” said Leanne Fisher, a social studies teacher and auction coordinator. “It’s a stellar class this year. The students are super involved, and so are the parents.”
Eighth-grader Tanner Hennin and his mother, Amy, teamed up to help prepare for the auction.
“Every day for the past month I’ve been staying after school with my mom to help prepare,” said Hennin, adding that their most recent tasks have been making the auction paddles and the placards for the various auction items, and collecting donations that have been coming in as recently as three days ago.
“We’ve been working a lot and adding stuff as we go,” said Hennin.
Many of the auction items have been donated by students and teachers, including various creations from students’ Etsy profiles, garden signs and baskets.
“Families have really been pitching in this year more than we’ve seen,” said eighth-grader Wade Bradford.
Other donated items include overnight stays at various cabins and hotels in the Midcoast, a lobster trap, a hand-knitted lobster rug and a day cruise that Fisher and her husband will host on their 40-foot sailboat.
The auction and the Washington D.C. trip are like “a culmination of the students’ time together from kindergarten through eighth grade,” Fisher said.
“The opportunity to spend time this time together is kind of a blast from the past for a lot of these kids who have grown up together,” said Fisher. “It also pulls together community members. I had someone come through the door the other day and say, ‘it’s time for your auction, right?’ They just want to get their items in and help these kids fund their trip.”
Fisher said that even if the class doesn’t raise enough money to fund every student, the school will cover the difference, ensuring that all 30-40 students get a place on the bus to D.C.
“Nobody is left out,” said Fisher.
Woolwich Central School’s student auction will take place on Saturday from 5-8 p.m. in the school gym. Refreshments will be provided.
To learn more about Saturday’s auction, visit woolwich.rsu1.org.
bgoodridge@timesrecord.com
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