12th Annual Spring Gala - Rock the Yacht!
Join us at the Omni Interlocken on Saturday, April 5th, from 5:30 to 11:00pm for our 12th Annual Spring Gala! Purchase your tickets by Tuesday, April 1st, at 5:00pm!
This is our school's biggest fundraiser and party of the year, and this year's theme is Rock the Yacht: Set Sail for a Night of High Tides and High Bids! The night's itinerary includes complimentary champagne, a three-course dinner, silent and live auctions, wine and liquor pulls, Secret Sips, a photo booth, nautical-themed cocktails, dancing, games, and the smoothest yacht rock tunes to keep the party sailing all night long. Let’s get excited to get nautical in support of ARPS!
Why do we fundraise through the annual Spring Gala?
Fundraising plays a critical role in the success of Aspen Ridge Preparatory School. We are a tuition-free public charter school with a commitment to small class sizes, content-rich curriculum, and a passion to provide our students with daily opportunities to build confidence, academic success, and positive character traits. Like all public schools, we receive state funding per student, but as a charter school, we face unique financial challenges that traditional public schools don’t. Most notably, we are responsible for covering all costs associated with our facilities—our mortgage, utilities, repairs, and maintenance—costs that district schools don’t have to cover. This creates a funding gap of approximately $1,200 per student, meaning less money per student is available to invest in educational programs, resources, and opportunities.
To bridge this gap and ensure we deliver the best possible educational experience, we rely on the generosity of our community sponsors and donors. Your support helps us fund innovative programs, maintain excellent facilities, and provide enriching opportunities that make our school a vibrant and thriving place for our students and teachers. Together, we can continue to give our Owls the outstanding education they deserve!
What is our Fund-a-Need for the 2025 Spring Gala?
Each year, the Fund-a-Need portion of our live auction is dedicated to raising funds for a specific initiative that directly benefits Aspen Ridge Preparatory School. While in past years we’ve focused on physical enhancements to our school, this year our greatest need is people—additional student support staff to ensure that every child at ARPS continues to be known and seen. Aspen Ridge is thriving and growing, with next year projected to bring our largest enrollment ever. We are committed to maintaining small class sizes and strong teacher-student relationships, but with state per-pupil funding likely decreasing for the first time since Aspen Ridge opened its doors, we must find new ways to support our students and teachers.
By hiring additional student support staff, we can enhance student supervision—ensuring safe, happy interactions at recess and throughout the school day. We can provide additional instructional support in the classroom—allowing teachers to focus on small group learning and personalized instruction. We can also increase teacher planning time—giving them the space to collaborate, refine lessons, and provide academic excellence to our students.
These new support staff roles will directly impact every student, every day, strengthening the ARPS experience as our community grows. The more we raise tonight, the more hands, hearts, and minds we can bring on board to support our students and staff. The Gala is your chance to give from the heart. Your tax-deductible donation will help ensure that every Owl continues to be known and seen, now and in the future.
Let's get excited for a night of high tides, high bids, and smooth yacht rock tunes! Check out our Pinterest board for some glam-boat style inspiration (though feel free to wear whatever makes you feel fabulous) and scan the code below for a yacht rock playlist that will get you in the maritime mood!
