On May 7, the senior class put on the inaugural Old Rochester Regional High School Date Auction. The senior class officers came up with the idea when brainstorming for a last fundraiser before prom and graduation. Fourteen bachelors signed up for the auction that was hosted by Paul Sardinha.
The fundraiser raised a total of $1,771.25 for the senior class treasury. Tickets were $5 at the door, bids from the auction went directly to the treasury, and concession and raffle tickets were also sold.
The night began with an opening dance number from all of the bachelors that helped warm up the crowd. Short video biographies of the bachelors followed, giving quick insight to their personalities.
Following the video biographies, the bachelors got dressed up and sat on the stage. Each bachelor was asked a question by Sardinha. Questions ranged from “What is your idea of a romantic evening?” to “What do you look for in a significant other?”
After the crowd got to know the bachelors a bit more, there was a brief intermission to allow people to gather their money, get their raffle tickets, and buy concessions.
Senior Dan Donahue got $8 for the senior class. Junior Jeremy Bare went for $14. The crowd was slow to warm up to the bidding. Junior Zach Bowen garnered $30, and fellow junior Colin Knapton’s bid went for $31.
Junior Chris Demers’ bid went up to $43, while Senior Class President Teddy Costa went for $39. Junior Richie Phillips earned $35, while senior Fred Murolo went for $40.
Sophomore Ian McClellan really woke the crowd up with the first real bidding war of the night that resulted in the first high bid of the night. McClellan went for $86. Senior Chris Marchisio went for $55.25, while Senior Tim Gonsalves garnered $115.
As the crowd got into the bidding mood, students ran to each other to pool money in hopes of winning their desired date or desired high bid for the treasury. Senior Nick Pacheco’s bid went up to $121, while sophomore Raekwon Phillips went for $126. Senior Tom Lavoie closed out the night with a $91 bid.
Thirteen local restaurants donated gift cards for the winning bidders to take their dates out.
By Jessica Correia