On November 13th, Scappoose Adventist School (SAS) held their first gala fundraising event, The Green Gala at The Pavilion at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, which was enjoyed by a crowd of about 150 people. The elegant event added a total of $100,000 to the $300,000 already collected through a variety of fundraising events and donations.

The event included entertainment supplied by students of Scappoose Adventist School with song, interpretive motion, and musical instruments; a beautiful harp instrumental by Melia Hernandez, the school’s kindergarten teacher; from numerous guests who traveled from across the US and Canada; and Toni Renner, the school’s office manager who gave a moving sign language accompaniment to the song “Thank You” by Ray Bolts. A delicious dinner was enjoyed as well. There were also wonderful testimonials given by parents, students, and a school board member. Grace Martin, a former student of principal Girlie Aguilar and now a registered nurse, flew from Georgia to attend and testify to the impact on her life of a Christian education, and her 8th & 9th grade teacher, Mrs. Aguilar, who encouraged and believed in her. Silent and live auctions and raffle prizes were part of the event. The event was attended by many friends of SAS including parents, church members, Oregon Conference of SDA superintendents, and principals from other SDA schools, as well as members of the community.

Special thanks to SAS Home and School leaders Olivia Logue and Dawn Piekut for their vision, and coordinating with donors of auction items; Auctioneer Gale Crosby, former VP of Education (Oregon Conference of SDA); Jennifer Woolf, Simply Pictures, for donating her time to take the entry photographs; Artist Don Estocada, along with the help of wife, Riza, and Gamaliel and Jae Valencia, who spent countless hours decorating the elegant event; and Stephen Appleby, Custom Creations and Restorations, for his support and beautiful woodworking donations.  Also, thank you to the following community businesses for contributing to the gala’s success:

Art with Hope, Beaver Bark, Bertucci’s Chocolates, Bodak Beauty, Columbia Acupuncture, Flora Designs, Gigi's Pâtisserie, Hudson Garbage Service, Les Schwab Tires Scappoose, Longfellow Inn, Massage Northwest LLC, Scappoose Library, Stan’s Refrigeration & Appliance, The Columbia Theater and Warren Country Inn.

Scappoose Adventist School, a member of the Scappoose community since 1935, offers pre-K through 8th grade education committed to empowering every child to their highest potential.

With nearly 80 students, SAS’s goal is to build a new, larger school in phases (total cost of $6.3 million), to meet the needs of the community, and eventually include higher learning.