Auction items keep pouring in and ticket sales are brisk as the 90th Anniversary Gala celebrating Point Loma High School’s history approaches.
The Gala, set for Oct. 24 at the Hilton San Diego, has a limit of 400 tickets available, according to event chair Maria Gibson, with a final wave of tickets likely to be swept up in coming days, leaving late buyers disappointed.
Tickets can be purchased by clicking the “Gala” button on the school website: www.pointlomahigh.com. There, visitors can also bid in an online auction, featuring over 40 items, or purchase some of nearly 100 needed items for PLHS learning environments.
The sponsoring Pointer Association, the parent group supporting the school and students, focuses on “The Three A’s” in its efforts to provide the best school experience for every PLHS student: Academics, The Arts and Athletics. And goals for the Gala are ambitious.
A top live auction prize is a one week vacation at a beach house in La Selva, Calif., a quaint village near Santa Cruz at Manresa Beach, noted for the best surfing waves on the Monterey peninsula. The 2,000-plus square foot home has three bedrooms, two full baths and two decks in front offering romantic nighttime views of both Santa Cruz and Monterey. This item is valued at $2,600.
Other special items include an overnight stay at the Hotel del Coronado for two with a breakfast buffet at Sheerwater restaurant at the hotel.
There are dozens more items for kids and an abundance of restaurant certificates for such local favorites as The Brigantine, The Venetian, World Famous and many other surprises that could become holiday gifts.
“The Gala is an event we hold every five years to celebrate the rich history of our school, not only recognizing the past, but looking towards the future,” Gibson said. “Money raised at this event from tickets, the auctions and sponsorships allow us to fund much-needed items and programs that continue to make PLHS an amazing school.”
Among school improvements targeted by organizers is an upgrade to the sound system in the Larry Zeiger Performing Arts Center, site of an upcoming student production of “The Addams Family.”
Another priority in a time of school district budget woes is updated books, classroom and lab supplies for science classes along with lab stools for students to use during classes.
“We have a hefty goal and a long list of items we would like to fund!” Gibson said.
Gibson is excited about a new “Wine Wall,” where guests will make a small donation allowing them to pull a cork, randomly matching them with a bottle of 90-plus point wine.
“Everyone is a winner and we have some really great wines donated,” she noted.
Besides introducing former and newly elected members of the PLHS Hall of Fame, organizers have reached out to departed teachers and staff members to attend, renewing old acquaintances with former students.
Also, guests will have the first public opportunity to view architectural renderings of the “future PLHS,” created after a series of community meetings over recent years to prioritize campus improvements planned over the next 20 years.
Gibson, a 1987 Pointer alumna, has been an active member of the Pointer Association and shared her passion for the Peninsula’s lone high school.
“I believe that neighborhood high schools are a reflection of the communities they represent,” she said. “We want to continue to push PLHS forward and give our current and future students the best opportunities. This school’s alumni have accomplished so much, and we have this opportunity to empower amazing global and local leaders of tomorrow and continue to add to the rich Pointer tradition and legacy.”