March 26, 2002 – Two big dates on the Antilles School calendar fall less than a week apart — the annual fund-raiser auction on Saturday, April 6, and the dedication of the Mark C. Marin Center for sports activities on Friday, April 12.
The auction "is our only major fund-raiser, and what we raise supports our very large financial aid budget — more than $700,000 awarded each year," Antilles development director Joan Amerling said.
The theme for this year's auction, which will take place in the ballroom at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort, is "Bella Italia," or "Beautiful Italy."
Decorating is a traditional part of the auction affair, and "this year we have been more ambitious than ever before," Amerling said. "We will have murals of Venice hand done by talented artists, a wine cart featuring Italian wines, damask swags and Venetian masks everywhere."
Among the many items to be auctioned are vacation packages, jewelry, and work by artists including Josee Deckert, M. Lisa Etre, Diane Kreiner and the late Eric Winter. Also this year, Amerling said, "we have lots of cute kids' items — stuffed animals and toys galore."
The proportion of the Antilles budget that goes for financial aid is "very high relative to stateside schools," she said.
Tickets to the auction are $100. Admission includes the champagne reception that will start the evening off, the Italian-theme dinner, and a bid number. The reception starts at 6 p.m. with dinner and the auction to follow.
The dedication of the Marin Center is set for 5:30 p.m. on April 12. Ground was broken last May 31 for the athletic facility, which was to have been named for local radio executive Randy Knight, who donated $1 million to the school's capital fund for its construction. Following the sudden death last July of Mark Marin, who had been the Antilles headmaster for 22 years, Knight asked the school board of trustees instead to name the building for Marin.
The public is invited to tour the new sports center on Saturday, April 13. "We'll have guided tours and entertainment and a concession selling drinks and lunches," Amerling said. "There will be a 3-on-3 youth basketball game featuring players from high schools all over the island and an all-star basketball game sponsored by Knight Quality Stations that should be a lot of fun to watch. At halftime, we'll have a $20,000 shoot-out sponsored by Centennial."
At the open house, Amerling said, "everyone offering an after-school or summer program will have information available about it, along with registration and scholarship forms. These programs are for all kids in the community, so we want to make sure everyone comes to the open house. We want people to know that community programs will be offered in this facility."
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