There is black gold in that gala

Get ready for a night of fun and entertainment, all for a good cause; supporting the mission and ministry of Blessed John Paul II High School.

The school will host its second annual Black and Gold Gala on Saturday, Jan. 28, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at L&F Distributors. After a steak dinner catered by Texas Roadhouse, the Spazmatics will take center stage with their dance routines and music. There will be live and silent auctions and a chance to win a new 2012 Nissan Frontier pick-up.

Individual tickets are $75 and tables of ten are $750. Sponsorships begin at $3,000 and go up to $25,000. Raffle tickets for the Nissan truck are $20.

The inaugural Black and Gold Gala was held in 2009 and brought in $300,000 for the school, surpassing their goal of $200,000. As the school grows and more students graduate, it is hoped that alumni will give back to their alma mater by supporting the gala.

Something new for this year’s event will be the introduction of the Bishop Carmody Award, given to an individual or company that provides extraordinary support to the school. Bishop Emeritus Edmond Carmody opened the school in 2006 and remains active in its development.

The curriculum at Blessed John Paul II High School stresses heavily spiritual formation because it is through a commitment to Christ that allows each student to grow in the faith and realization that God made them to do great things, Bishop Carmody said. It is through this knowledge that brings about motivation to achieve excellence.

Recently, the school bested 24 area public schools to win first place in the KEDT Academic Challenge. The Centurion baseball team has won back-to-back state championships in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools and school teams went to the playoffs in football, volleyball and basketball.

“We continue to raise the bar on our students to do the best they can for college, to make sure they are ready for the real world and real life experiences,” principal Perry LeGrange said. “Parental involvement is important in all of this because parents are our students’ first school. We enrich that learning.”

Living up to the school’s commitment to the spiritual formation of its students makes the work of Blessed John Paul II High School’s faculty and staff more than just a job. “The great thing here is that they see their work as a ministry in the name of the Lord,” Bishop Carmody said.

The school holds high expectations of finding the right teachers who will not only educate their students, but minister to them.

“I can’t say enough about our theology department. We have retreats for every grade level. The retreats are phenomenal here. The students talk about them and they want more,” LeGrange said. “Even outside of retreats, the department goes above and beyond to provide spiritual nourishment to the students in offering Masses, prayer services, Eucharistic adoration and various activities. Two priests are available every Wednesday for confessions.”

Though students are required to pay a portion of their tuition, the community has played a significant role in making the education at Blessed John Paul II High School affordable. The John G. & Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation agreed to help the school on the condition that it set up an endowment fund with a goal of $10 million and the interest generated from the endowment fund be used for tuition assistance. The school is just shy of reaching that goal.

“The community is very much in support of this goal because of our mission,” Bishop Carmody said.

For more information on the Black and Gold Gala, contact Caroline Nye at (361) 855-5744 or visit the Black and Gold Gala website at www.blackandgoldgala.org.