“A Good Time was Had By All” is the title of a book of poetry by English author Stevie Smith (published in 1937), but this description could just as easily apply to the guests who attended Genesis Classical Academy Spring Fling, held on April 6th, 2019 at the Winnebago school gymnasium.
Guests were treated to a beautiful evening which included a dinner and entertainment by pianists Susan Grover, Marge Hill, Gavin Barnett, Annette Jenkins, and Carol Sands. Music by “Generation Gap”, the grandfather/grandson duo of Rod Scheitel and Carter Quast, was also a delightful feature of the evening.
The 7 pm program opened with a video, featuring the testimonials of several GCA parents, grandparents, and teachers. One of the highlights of the night was two vocal numbers presented by Genesis students, under the direction of Annette Jenkins and accompanied by Susan Grover. The students confidently sang “A Million Dreams” (from the movie “The Greatest Showman”) and their praise and worship favorite, “10,000 Reasons.”
The much-anticipated raffle drawing yielded the following lucky winners:
1st Prize: $1000 Royal Caribbean Gift Card and $500 cash, donated by GCA Board of Directors
Winner: Chelsea Volz
2nd Prize: 4 Twins Tickets in Legends seating, donated by First Bank, Blue Earth
Winner: Josh Stensland
3rd Prize: $250 Great Wolf Lodge and Water Park Gift Card, donated by Jeff and Debra Boesch
Winner: Jill Ness
4th Prize: $100 Kwik Trip Gift Card, donated by Howe Electric
Winner: Zoe Klimek
5th Prize: $100 Visa Gift Card, donated by J & M Plumbing LLC
Winner: Lori Thompson
Bidding was brisk for the 153 live and silent auction items, including the “Headmaster’s Wallet” – a beautiful lady’s wallet containing 5 gift cards and an undisclosed amount of cash. (How much cash was in the wallet? Only the winning bidder knows for sure!)
A new opportunity to support the school was presented, called the “Fund-A-Need Challenge”. Guests were offered the opportunity to make a cash donation toward much-needed science lab and athletic equipment for the school. With a generous $2500 matching gift from Marge Hill, more than $7500 was raised for this cause.
At the end of the evening, nearly $36,500 was raised to support the mission of Genesis Classical Academy. But equally important was the community-building nature of this event among parents, students, staff, volunteers, and community members. Our human nature longs to be part of a community, and events like Spring Fling help to draw us together.
So many people helped to make this event a success. We extend our sincere thanks to all of the sponsors and donors who contributed cash or merchandise, the bidders who purchased the items or a raffle ticket, the caterers who provided the food, the entertainers, auctioneer, and emcee who donated their talents, and the parents and other volunteers who helped with planning, set-up and clean-up, advertising, selling raffle tickets, soliciting donations and sponsorships, and so much more!
If you missed the event and are feeling a bit of regret, don’t worry – plans are already underway for Spring Fling 2020!
Judy Ness is a business owner, former teacher, and a passionate supporter of Genesis Classical Academy in Winnebago, Minnesota. She and her husband James have 3 adult children and 4 grandchildren. They count among their blessings the wonderful education that their grandchildren are receiving at Genesis.