Event to be hosted on school grounds for first time; ‘A Space Odyssey’ theme carries goal of $300,000
EBS STAFF
On Friday, March 21, the Big Sky Parent Teacher Organization will host its 45th annual Pie Auction to raise money for the PTO’s educational support programs in the Big Sky School District.
The event, taking place from 6 to 9 p.m., is themed “A Space Odyssey” and will take place on school grounds for the first time in the event’s 45-year history, according to a March 6 press release from the PTO. The venue change not only aims to cut costs and maximize fundraising impact—the PTO aims to raise $300,000—but will also highlight the new science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) wing.
“The Auction will be a chance for longtime school supporters to finally get to see the new STEAM building or as some like to call it the ‘Innovation Center,’” the release stated. “With many leading-edge school districts trying to get ahead of AI and to also help families combat the rising cost of college, Big Sky School District invested in a beautiful cutting-edge building that offers classes in technical hands-on woodworking skills. Students design and craft their own innovations, and the creativity coming out of this building is superior.”
The release stated that with the cost of living in Big Sky growing year after year, BSSD operates under a $1 million deficit and the PTO works hand in hand with the administration to ensure that teacher requests for enhanced learning and extracurricular programming always have funding.
The event will include more than 100 silent auction items, and a live auction including world travel packages like an overnight, all-inclusive stay at Crazy Mountain Ranch, trips from “everywhere to Tulum to Scottsdale to Turks and Caicos,” and a trip to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to match the Space Odyssey theme.
“The way that the community has come together to sponsor, donate, and volunteer is truly amazing,” PTO President Holly Coltea stated in the release. “The small-town heart of Big Sky really shows itself when parents, teachers, and community members rally around one cause as important to our town as education.”
Coltea credited real estate sponsors, teachers donating their time, resources and talents, and a wide array of auction offerings, including a 50-year-old chair from the soon-to-be decommissioned Explorer Chairlift, the last original Big Sky Resort lift.
“We have teacher experiences like a wildflower hike with ecologist and LPHS biology teacher Kate Eisele, and a multitude of cakes and pies created by our student body and community members,” Coltea stated.
Tickets to the auction are available online, and silent auction items are open for bidding on Monday, March 17.
