The school’s biggest fundraiser, the annual ShamrAuction, will take place Feb. 26 and final plans are in place for the event.

“ShamrAuction will be one of the largest (school) fundraisers in the Midwest,” said Mrs. Michelle Taylor, who serves as the senior director of advancement and helps plan ShamrAuction. “There’s always new stuff when it comes to ShamrAuction. We like to keep it fresh.”

One key part of the annual ShamrAuction is the annual raffle. The winner of the raffle could get $15,000 (assuming that all 900 tickets are sold), second place will win $2,000, and third place will win $1,000. Each raffle ticket is $100 and two early bird tickets will be chosen on Dec. 17 and Jan. 28. These two winners will receive $500 each and be entered back into the drawing for the grand prize.

Taylor said, “There are a number of opportunities to support the event. If your family has a business or has a gift card, that could go to the event.” Taylor also said gift cards for restaurants always go for full value and are a great idea to donating to the event.

ShamrAuction takes donations of items and auctions them. Employees of certain companies can even have their gift matched by their employer. Most of the money made will go to the Cathedral Fund, which provides tuition support for students.

Donors can also donate funds toward the school’s planned student-run coffee shop, which has a fundraising goal of $100,000, with $24,000 raised as of the end of the first semester.

Around 700 guests and volunteers will be involved. A single ticket is $250, and even though the event is sold out, you can still be put on the waiting list. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. and will end at around 11:30 p.m.

This year’s the theme is “Top Gun.” During the 45 years of ShamrAuction, there has been a new theme each year. The planning committee chose “Top Gun” because they felt it fit the event well, and it ties in with both the Innovation Center and the new Civil Air Patrol class. Another reason for the theme was because a new “Top Gun” movie was supposed to come out around the same time as ShamrAuction, but the movie was delayed to May. Taylor said, “It’s just a fun theme.”