March 3, 2004

School Briefs

Willow Glen High to hold Career Faire

Willow Glen High School will hold its annual Career Faire on April 6. The school is looking for people who have interesting careers and would like to share the profession with the students. Last year 50 professionals discussed their careers and answered student questions.

The Career Faire will be held from 7- to 11:45 a.m. Breakfast and lunch is served.

The school is hoping to offer the students an even more informative faire this year. Those wishing to share their careers will be asked to discuss their profession and answer student's questions. If you are interested in participating or just helping out, contact Debbie Bishop by phone at 266-1351 or e-mail wgmsvolunteer@sbcglobal.net .

Willow Glen High Parent Club to hold gala

The Willow Glen High School Parent's Club will hold its annual gala on Saturday, March 20 from 7- to 11 p.m. at the San Jose Center for Spiritual Living on Clark Street near Delmas and Willow. This year's gala offers a sports bar atmosphere with casino games, basketball and other activities. The group also has hired a DeeJay.

The gala provides funds for the parent club. The club's biggest fundraiser of the year benefits the school's scholarship program, curriculum enrichment, teacher grants, classroom items, field trips and anything else pertaining to school needs.

Tickets are $40 per person if purchased by March 6 or $45 per person at the door. For more information, contact the school at (408) 535-6330 or call (408) 448-3639.

Bellarmine to present “Les Miserables”

Bellarmine College Preparatory's Theatre Arts Program will present its spring musical “Les Miserables” beginning Thursday, March 4 with additional performances March 5-7 and March 10-13 at the school's Benson Theater.

“Les Miserables” is one of the most strenuous and complex shows ever mounted at the school. The school band will provide the music. Sets were built by the technical/stagecraft students, and the play will be enacted by a cast of 38 actors from Bellarmine and other local schools.

Bellarmine's Theatre Arts Program runs a full theater season including a fall drama, winter musical and spring comedy. The program's resident improvisational troupe, Sanguine Humours, performs free concerts throughout the school year.

Approximately 40-50 students are involved in performing during the course of the season. An additional 40-50 students participate in the technical theatre/stagecraft division, which offers students a chance to learn stage design, construction, lighting design, sound design, stage management, sales and marketing. The Spring Comedy, “Episode 26” begins May 14.

Admission to “Les Miserable” is $12 per person for Friday and Saturday performances and $10 each for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. For more information contact Tabitha Steager 537-9210 or e-mail her at tsteager@bcp.org.

Bellarmine annual dinner and auction set for March 20

Bellarmine College Preparatory will hold its 28th annual "Le Grande Golden Bell" Dinner and Auction on March 20 at the school's Licardo Center. One of the school's premier fundraising events, the auction invites over 600 guests to visit a different theme location each year. This year, guests will experience the magic and adventure of Treasure Island.

This year's auction features a lavish dinner menu from leading local chefs Emile Mooser of Emile's; Vince Gruasch of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Catering; and Jim Connolly, owner of Team Builders which provides a variety of team building programs, including the TeamCuisine program. Its silent auction will offer more than 400 items, from fine wine and jewelry to vacation packages and original artwork along with a $20,000 cash raffle.

The highlight of the evening is the oral auction. Some of this year's items include an ultimate golf getaway to Hawaii worth over $25,000, a 2004 Yukon Denali, a 2004 Jeep Liberty, dinners at leading local restaurants, vacation homes in Lake Tahoe, Santa Cruz and Jackson Hole and one of the most sought after men's watches in the world, the Rolex Daytona.

The auction has raised over $10 million since its inception in 1977 for essential school programs and operations.

"It's impossible to overstate the importance of the ongoing support and generosity of parents, alumni and friends of the school," said Pat Wahler, development director at Bellarmine. "Without their generous donations of auction items, financial assistance and their time, this event would not be possible. It is because of their support and the active involvement of the guests at the auction that we are able to raise such important funds for essential school programs."

"Since the first year we held the event, although it was much smaller than today, Bellarmine's auction has never ceased to impress me," said Fr. Jerry Wade, S.J., chancellor and interim president of Bellarmine. "It is wonderful to see such an entertaining, exciting and rewarding Bellarmine tradition continue to be such a success year after year. Not only is it a great opportunity for members of the extended Bellarmine family get together and have fun, but also, and most important, it helps us continue to educate and nurture the talented young men who are at the heart of Bellarmine."

For more information on Bellarmine's annual auction, visit the Web site at www.bcp.org.