HOLY NATIVITY SCHOOL A detail of Holy Nativity School's 6th grade class quilt shows a patriotic theme, with images from the Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty and states from coast to coast.

Holy Nativity student
quilts worth gold

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By Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
slopes@starbulletin.com

Despite a healthy confidence in their artistic abilities, last year's sixth-graders at Holy Nativity School were astonished to find such a hefty price tag affixed to their handiwork.

During the school's annual auction, their class quilt reeled in a record $5,900 and helped fund scholarships and supplement the school's budget. "Last year, we raised about $65,000 in all," said head of school Bob Whiting. "For a school our size, that's really amazing. It really is a big fund-raiser."

Since 1974, Holy Nativity has brought together the families, staff and friends of the Aina Haina Valley school once a year for an evening feast and auction. This year, the 2002 Holy Nativity School Pa'ina will be held tomorrow at the Waialae Country Club.

Holy Nativity School Pa'ina Where: Waialae Country Club When: 5:30 p.m. tomorrow Admission: $60 donation includes dinner; the public may also bid during the post-dinner auction Call: 373-3232

For the past four years, school parent Phyllis Kam-Young has stitched together quilts for each class, from Keiki Co-op (toddler) and Pre-K through Grade 6. Students are provided cloth material and fabric pens and contribute drawings to be used in the making of each class quilt. "It's a labor of love for me and my family," admits Kam-Young, who has purchased fabric from as far away as Germany to make the quilts. "I derived more satisfaction from sewing and volunteering than any other work I've ever done."

Saturday's auction, which features nearly 300 items, including neighbor island trips, mainland ski vacations, jewelry, gift certificates and various art pieces for bidding, begins with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by a dinner at 7:30 p.m. and a live auction soon after. While the auction is free to the public, limited dinner seating is available with a $60 donation.

Attendance in recent years has hovered around 200, but word on the Holy Nativity School auctions is spreading, and Whiting predicts an even bigger turnout this year. "Now anyone who wants to come and bid is welcome," he says. "It's an exciting time. Those auctions can tend to get pretty heated."

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