Art students at Clinton High School have been busy preparing for the annual art auction, a fun and creative spring fundraiser that benefits the Clinton Area Foundation for Education (CAFE) and teachers in the city school system.
This year’s event will be held Tuesday, May 21, at 5:30 p.m. at Clinton High School. The annual event celebrates the arts in the city schools while raising much needed funds for educational needs. The Clinton High School band will join art students this year and entertain in an effort to help support Clinton City Schools.
“The annual art auction is our only fundraiser,” Joan Tsao, president of CAFE, said. “This school year, CAFE has funded 26 teacher grants for a total of over $20,000.”
There is a process involved in teachers receiving the grants. First the teachers write grants and present them to the CAFE board during meetings. Then the CAFE board reviews the grant applications and selects those which will be funded.
Once approved, the grants fund items that cost above and beyond what the schools can afford. According to Tsao, CAFE has already funded grants from each school this academic year.
Several grants have requested items to support the school system’s Global Initiative program, which helps students learn more about the world in which they live. CAFE has also funded several grants that focus on STEM education.
For over 25 years the CAFE has been dedicated to enriching the learning experience for students in the city’s school system. Teachers apply for grants from CAFE to purchase classroom resources that are not funded by the system’s budget.
According to Tsao, the requests run the full spectrum of school life. In the past year, the CAFE board has purchased tricycles to help preschool students learn coordination while having fun and exercising and purchased robotics kits for Sunset Avenue School students to work on coding and programming, among many other projects and purchases.
“We are very fortunate to have the support of the businesses in our community,” Tsao explained. “HogSlat helped sponsor expensive welding equipment requested by the Clinton High School agriculture department.”
CAFE has also earned the support of the United Way of Sampson County through grant funding. Community members can join CAFE as a supporting member for a nominal membership fee.
“We are excited for this year’s art auction,” Tsao added. “For several years the Clinton High School band has performed during the auction, but they have been on the second floor overlooking the atrium. In the fall Travis Jordan, the CHS Band Director, spoke with the CAFE board and suggested that the art auction and the end of year band concert take place on the same night. This is a great opportunity for parents and the public to experience two important segments of the CCS curriculum.”
There will be over 20 paintings from the art students available for purchase and the band will perform four selections.
Refreshments will be available to purchase.
