A Winter Wonderland

Welcome to A Winter Wonderland, an auction to benefit Meadow Montessori School.  Items are added as received, so check back often! 
 

How It Works

Our in-person auction will take place at the beautiful Monroe Golf & Country Club. If you plan to attend our auction in-person, you must register to bid and provide a valid credit or debit card, and purchase your tickets. Purchasing a ticket to attend the auction does not automatically register you to bid - you must register to receive your bidder number.  If you are not attending in-person, but would like to bid, you must register to bid and provide a valid credit or debit card.

You may bid on any open item and purchase tickets for all raffle items now.  Raffle tickets must be paid for at the time of purchase.  Auction items marked "Preview" are our "live" auction items, which will take place at our in-person auction and online, beginning at approximately 8:30pm on Friday, February 3, 2023. All silent auction items will close at 9pm on Friday, February 3rd, 2023. 

You will be notified via text if you have been outbid and also have the ability to increase your bid.  At the close of the auction, you will be notified if you've won, and you can check out - right on your device!  If you do not check out by 9pm on February 3rd, we will automatically check you out using the card on file.  It's THAT easy!

 
Who We Are 

Since 1984, Meadow Montessori School has been a leader in independent education for children throughout southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio.  We serve students of every age, from infant through high school.  In addition to academic rigor, Meadow's students enjoy daily instrumental and vocal music, as well as foreign languages, physical education, and art instruction.  You can also find our students tending their organic gardens, or on the farm learning to preserve their harvest.  We are unlike any school in the region.  At Meadow, we educate the whole child.  This is evident in the well-rounded, and well-prepared, graduates who leave us to attend four-year colleges and universities each year. In the past ten years, Meadow Montessori has sent 93% of our graduates on to four-year colleges and universities.  

We don't do this alone.  We rely on our community - our team.  You are part of our team.  We work diligently each year to close the 30% gap between tuition dollars received and the cost to educate each child. One way we keep tuitions affordable, while still meeting our immediate operating needs, is by hosting an annual fundraising auction.  

Meet our 2023 Honorary Chairperson

Mrs. Sandy Lentner

"Why me?" was my reaction when approached about serving as honorary chair for the 2023 Auction.  I'm not a politician or a businessperson, a big donor or even an MMS parent.   Maybe it's my longevity?  However, others have a few years over me.  And I'm still on staff.

After arguing that there are others far more deserving of the honor than I, my husband  said to just appreciate the title and enjoy.  So that's what I am doing: enjoying the years of being a part of MMS, its amazing staff, and the hundreds of children with whom I have been privileged to work for 34 years.

I fell into the music position in 1988 when my friend Ann Felder, who had been teaching at MMS, told me she was stepping back with a new baby (who ended up teaching here a few years ago) and to talk to Cathe.  As the saying goes, "the rest is history".

How to condense 34 years into one page?  There are so many high points (a "home of our own"), a few low points (our ousting from St. Mary's), some sad times (deaths of students - Kelsey, Alex, and staff - Annie, Alline, and Lois), challenges (remote teaching during Covid), many proud moments (high schoolers breaking into "Elijah Rock" in the colosseum at Ephesus, MMS music students earning leads in RRCA's "Oliver" and "Sound of Music", and MHS's "Grease"), as well as the joy of running into former students who stop to chat.

Support for the music program at MMS is phenomenal.  Having taught in both public and parochial schools, I speak from experience.  Whatever wild idea I had was considered and usually encouraged.  Take students to district solo & ensemble festival?  Sure.  Have a full-blown Renaissance Christmas with 5-course meal, archery, mimes, a joust, St. George play, "Lord of Misrule", Consort of viols, recorders, knighting ceremony, boar's head, Yule log, and all in full costumes?  Why not?  Write our own operas?  Go for it!  Switch recorder students to Woodwinds?  Let's do it. 

But as it "takes a village", it also takes cooperative teachers and staff to carry these ideas to fruition.  Again, this working together toward a common goal is an MMS characteristic.  In 1993, the staff put on a wedding in Cathe's gazebo:  flowers came from teachers' gardens, staff prepared the food, wedding dress was borrowed from another teacher, older strings played and sang, photos were by volunteer. It was lovely.  That's far from the only wedding at Cathe's, but this one was truly carried out by the MMS "family".

Personally, I love to travel, and-starting in 2009 with Budapest & Vienna - it was a treat to go with the older students to Turkey and Greece in 2012, South Vietnam & Cambodia in 2019, and the Balkans a week before we closed for Covid!  I'm hoping for Portugal & Spain next time (hint, hint).

I want to mention parents.  They are the best!  When I hear of problems other schools have with parents, it makes me appreciate ours even more.  They pitch in and help with opera, with transporting equipment back to school, and are there for not only their kids but also the staff.  Thank you!

Okay, this is going on too long, yet it has only scratched the surface.  MMS, I love you!

Presenting Sponsors:

• Dr. Carin Hopps
• Coady & Karen Torio 
• The C.S. and Marion F. McIntyre Foundation
• The Moulton Group

Gold Sponsors:

Jason & AnaMaria Koehl

The Raymer Family 

Katie Burroughs, Realtor

Calder Dairy & Farm 

Knabusch Insurance

Silver Sponsors:

Friend of MMS

The Galbraith Family - Doug, Karin & Juni 

Mr. Steve & Dr. Jeanne Schall

KN Legal

The Pai Family 

J. Henry Lievens & Betzi Lievens; Lievens Law, PLLC

First Merchants Bank 

Four Star Greenhouse

Hobby Nels

Tom & Sharon Smith 

MMS Board of Trustees

Bronze Sponsors:

Arron & Beth Kowalczyk

Bryan & Brittany Asmus

Calkins Hehl Rafko CPAs

Catharine Calder

Law Office of Christina D. Hills, PLC 

Dr. Steve & Michelle Grider 

Debi and David Hartman 

Davidson Concrete

Dennis Harrigan and the Hijinx band

The Montessori Moms

Mark & Kathy Piedmonte

Steve & Elizabeth Layman

The Dorothy Ann Williams Foundation - Josh Williams & Tiffany Mason 

Michelle LaVoy

Maria Zagorski