St. Barnabas School will host the second annual Ignite Gala Fundraiser on Friday, October 18th from 6-11pm at Woodside Event Center in Broadview Heights. The guests will enjoy a sit down dinner, cocktails, raffles, entertainment and the chance to bid on exciting live and silent auction items. This year, all proceeds will go towards modernizing and revamping classrooms with the goal of creating a more collaborative, hands-on, and up-to-date learning environment for all learning styles.
Research shows that proper lighting, classroom color, sound absorbing materials (like carpeting), and flexible seating options all increase learning outcomes, help students focus on instruction, and maximize the potential for all learning styles.
- One study looked at three dimensions of classroom design: naturalness (factors like light and temperature), stimulation (factors like color and visual complexity), and individualization (factors like flexibility and student ownership) and found that optimizing all of these physical characteristics of classrooms improved academic performance in reading, writing, and mathematics by 16%.
- Flexible, welcoming spaces had a startlingly large effect on learning in math—73% of the students’ progress that was attributed to classroom design was traced back to flexibility and student ownership. One of the findings suggested that anxiety-prone subjects like math, are better handled in classrooms that feel comfortable and familiar to students.
- Fluorescent light can trigger headaches & hyperactivity as well as increased sensitivity in children on the autism spectrum while lighting that mimics natural daylight, like LEDs, increase student alertness and focus.
“St. Barnabas School received the ROSE Award (Recognition of Something Extraordinary) for our MAP test scores within the Cleveland Diocese. We ranked number 6 among the 109 Diocesan elementary schools for our percentage of growth in all three MAP subjects: Math, Reading and Language Arts. We want to continue this educational excellence by providing our students with a revamped learning environment. We encourage you to come see the wonderful things happening at St. Barnabas,” said Erin Faetanini, St. Barnabas School Principal.
“As a St. Barnabas School alum, I am proud of the educational excellence and success St. Barnabas has shown over the years,” Platinum Sponsor, Jason Czerwin of The Super-Crete Company said. “I see the importance of the proposed classroom renovations as it will give my daughters a new and improved platform to succeed.”
Thanks to the incredible success of the inaugural Ignite Gala last fall, and the generous support of the St. Barnabas community, the school raised over $160,000 towards campus security initiatives. Phase two of the security work is underway and will take about 60 days to complete. When students return to school in August, major updates such as the new school office and visitor entryway will be completed. This will replace the existing breezeway entrance and most importantly, will create a single, secure point entry for visitors. The students will also enjoy a new playground including a gaga ball pit on the northside of the building. For more information on the 2018 Ignite Gala security updates, please visit our website.
“Last year’s Ignite Gala was a wonderful experience. With last year being the inaugural event, we had no idea what to expect. How wonderful it was to see the St. Barnabas parents, parishioners and community pull together for a common goal, to make our school a safer place,” Meeghan and Nate Kraynack, St. Barnabas parents, said. “We are looking forward to being a part of this year’s event and can’t wait for our 2nd and 4th grade boys to experience the classroom updates that will make St. Barnabas an even better place to learn and grow.”
The Ignite Gala is being led by co-chairs Mike Fleming and Tony Post, and committee members Jessica Endress, Erin Faetanini, Erin Freeman, Kathleen Hamm, Kristen Hromyak, Debbie Majoros, Kelly Mirambeau and Maryellen Skelin as well as subcommittees comprised of more than 40 parents.
Individual tickets are $100/ticket. A table of ten is $1,000 and can be upgraded to $1,200 which includes bottle service and a table sponsorship. Corporate sponsorships and program ads are available, and auction items are being accepted. All forms are available at www.sbcatholicschool.com/ignite.
“I invite you to join us for an amazing night that featuring a sit down dinner, live and silent auctions, and entertainment,” said Erin Faetanini, St. Barnabas School Principal. “You won’t want to miss it!”
Visit www.sbcatholicschool.com/ignite to learn more and purchase your tickets.
