MANSFIELD — About 30% of the student body at Discovery School receives some type of financial aid.
Parent volunteer Susan Clewell said the school board wants to make the elementary school “accessible to as many families as possible.” One of the major ways the school fundraises for financial aid is through its annual gala.
After not having an in-person celebration since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Discovery School founder and school board chair Margaret Black said the school wanted to host “a really big party.”
More than 100 people attended the Enchanted Forest Gala on April 29 at the Westbrook Country Club event center. The event featured dinner and drinks, performances by Nyte Flyte and CONNE, and a silent auction.
In total, it raised more than $20,000.
The silent auction raised $7,135 and featured items ranging from art to night-out packages and family memberships.
Event sponsorship raised $12,000, some of which went toward venue, food and entertainment costs. Additional ticket sales brought in more than $4,800.
“Because of our sponsors’ generous support, the space, entertainment and meals were all sponsored,” Clewell said. “So all the ticket proceeds will go directly to Discovery School.”
Sponsors included Phillips Animal Hospital, Schmidt Security Pro, Park National Bank, The UPS Store, Mechanics Bank and Roby Foster Miller Earick Insurance.
Donors included Margaret Black, Flip Wisdom, Ben Bishop, Cameron Haring and Monica Phillips.
Discovery School’s mission is “to provide each child the educational opportunity to discover, with perseverance and imagination, the joy of learning and the interconnectedness of our world,” according to its website.
Discovery School, located on Millsboro Road, serves students from preschool through 6th grade. The school is surrounded by trees, where students have woods class each week.
Clewell said kindergartners noticed trees blown down by wind storms and damaged by ash borers.
“The kids are learning how to care for the natural wilderness each week,” she said. “And the kindergartners had the idea to plant new trees, which we wanted to support.”
The Enchanted Forest Gala raised $1,000 to independently support the sapling project. Students will plant the trees in mid-May so there is still time to donate $25 to sponsor a tree.
Donors can send checks or cash to Discovery School at 855 Millsboro Road, or donate on PayPal.
