Tioga auction generates $28K

By Basil Gist

Staff Writer

The Tioga High School cafeteria featured a host of Bulldog pride on Saturday inspired by the school’s FFA/FCCLA Booster Club.

       The club’s annual auction, which raises money to subsidize the two programs, raised just over $28,000 for students this year.    

       “I think with the number of kiddos we have involved in those organizations, considering our numbers are a little down as far as participation, we did pretty well,” club President Melissa Taylor said. “I feel like every organization sometimes has a rebuilding year, and I think that’s kind of where we are at.”

       The event featured barbecue from Dr. Bob Shelton, whose family has supported the club for several years, and a plethora of desserts furnished by the students.

       “All the desserts are brought by kids,” FFA and FCCLA President Raylee Wilson said. “We bring one to sell in the auction and one for people to have as dessert at the event. FCCLA also helped a lot to make sure we had all the food and condiments we needed tonight. It’s important we do that. They’re coming out to support us, so we can make sure they have good food and a good time.”

       In addition to duplicate desserts, the auction’s offerings included three projects from the ag mechanics class, a signed jersey from the football team and coach Birdwell, and a pair of trips, one to Galveston donated by Town and Country Realtors.

       “The booster club pick up wherever we need,” lead ag teacher Tanner Hash said. “If there are entry fees for contests, equipment hotels or food, the kids need to be able to go to as many contests and events as they want to, as many as we can, and the booster club steps up and fills that gap with anything we need to be able to get kids out of the school and down the road to those different opportunities.”

       Superintendent Josh Ballinger, who joined the donors Saturday night, explained that programs like FFA and FCCLA don’t happen at Tioga without the support the booster club provides.

       “Not here,” Ballinger said. “Any rural school has to rely on their booster clubs. They do a lot of big things in their programs and are invaluable.”

       Though the auction came up a little shorter this year than it has in the recent past, Taylor said she’s not concerned about the money stretching where it needs to.

       “The FFA programs have some of the hardest working kids you’ll have in your school system, and this is a good time to come out and support them and their programs,” auctioneer Corgie Fisher said.