On Saturday, February 3rd, RMA will be hosting the 49th Annual Auction. Each year, the school hosts this amazing event to close the gap between tuition fees and the school’s operating expenses, giving students the best possible experience and parents the lowest possible tuition.

Since the first week in August, April Livermon, our Director of Development, has been working tirelessly alongside RMA parents Keller Strandberg and Sterling Grimes to prepare for this year’s event, though planning began as soon as last year’s auction ended! As co-chairs, Mrs. Strandberg and Mrs. Grimes manage a host of subcommittees (set-up, clean-up, invitations, decorations, etc.) which are composed of generous parent volunteers. Registrar Dawana Davis and Instructional Assistant Lisa Stone have also played a huge role in preparing for the auction. Our 29 wonderful sponsors have been crucial to the success of the auction, whom we hope you’ve seen acknowledged in the Eagle Update and on RMA’s social media platforms. 

As it has for the past few years, the auction will be held in Brown Auditorium at Nash Community College. When guests arrive at 6 pm, staff will help them register via the Bidpal App, and the many parents, grandparents, friends, alumni, and RMA staff present will use the app to bid on the silent auction items. A voice auction hosted by local radio personality Wes Ballance will take place concurrently, with the silent auction closing 10 minutes after the voice auction ends. If you are not able to attend the live auction, you can message either of the co-chairs or Mrs. Livermon to bid for you.  Dinner and cocktails will be provided to guests by Scarborough Fare catering, and guests will enjoy a performance by local band TrainWreck.

If you’re worried about missing the Duke vs. Carolina game that night, there’s no need because the game will be streamed! To add to the excitement of this epic match-up, a bidding square will be available. You can select and purchase a square for $20. Only 100 squares will be available, so the winner will take home $1,000. You must be present to participate, and squares will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, so the bidding square should be one of your first stops on auction night! 

Last year, the auction was extremely successful, raising a total of $177,872.32. As always, we hope that this year’s event will raise even more than the last as everyone comes together to show their support. The auction is a very exciting event that gives our RMA adults a night to get away and have fun while helping the school that nurtures their children. “It’s the greatest night of the year!” exclaims our Head of School, Mrs. Beth Murphy. 

We owe a huge thank you to all those who have helped to make this night possible and who plan to attend to support our school!