Jesuit’s Celebration Auction & Gala, presented by First Bank and Trust, popped with brilliance at the New Orleans Marriott on Saturday, October 19. The event attracted hundreds of school supporters with its fun and scaled-up theme, “Bow-Ties & Bling.” Many of the attendees got into the spirit, men wearing different colored bow-ties, though blue and white was a preferred choice, and ladies sparkling with shiny dresses and tastefully chosen bling.

View the Photo Gallery for Celebration: Bow-Ties & Bling

The elegance of the ballroom and the dress of the patrons was only matched by the exuberance of the musical offerings. The Jesuit Jazz Band set a zippy tone as guests arrived and surveyed the auction boards and raffles. After serving as the director for the student performance, Jason Giaccone took the stage with Uptown Phunk and took the party to the next level. 

The Marriott’s delicious spread of food featured crowd-favorites lobster mac ‘n cheese and prime rib, as well as time-honored New Orleans delicacies shrimp & grits and Bananas Foster. Live and silent auctions featured a spectacular array of prizes, and bidders got into the fun with convenient on and off-site mobile bidding. Members of Jesuit’s National Honor Society greeted guests and assisted with check-in and online bidding.

Featured auction items included a gumbo supper for 12 prepared by Fr. John Brown, S.J., and Fr. Kevin Dyer, S.J.; dinner for 8 at Jack Rose with drinks at Hot Tin; a sapphire and diamond ring donated by Friend and Company.; and a piece of Tom Everhart artwork donated by Peter Calamari ’89 of Royal Street Fine Art. 

Perhaps the most glittering of all the award opportunities was the wine and spirit pull, which sold out before 9 p.m. Exciting raffle opportunities were also a hit and included a 50/50 raffle, an airline ticket raffle, and a surprise raffle valued at $900. The award for the surprise raffle indeed proved to be a sweet prize – a cake of the winner’s choice each month for a year from Maurice’s Bakery. 

Wanda Montalbano served as Celebration event chair, and Cindy Wooderson served as co-chair. Jessica Hughes and Kelley Moreau chaired the auction committee. Stunning decorations were coordinated by Missy Martin and Amy Burke, while Karen DeBlieux and Michelle Lyon went above and beyond in inviting sponsorships.

In addition, Jesuit offers special thanks to Sam Ferguson (National Honor Society), D.J. Galiano ’07 (logistics), Tom Bagwill (live auction), Brittany Donnes (design and production coordination), and the members of Jesuit’s maintenance and facilities team.

Finally, Jesuit offers its gratitude to all those who volunteered, donated auction items, and attended Celebration 2019. Proceeds from the annual auction and gala are used to keep Jesuit an affordable school of excellence.