Gifft Hill Auction

By Han Winogrond

What is it about an auction that fascinates us? Although Sotheby's and Christy's are names that jump to mind today, the tradition of auctions stretches back to Roman times. Recently, St. John participated in this long tradition with the annual Pine Peace auction.

The annual auction is held to raise money for the Gifft Hill School. In their roles for the event, Beth Jones and Lori Varlas are what the Romans would have called the Praeco; they put together an incredible event, amassing a seemingly limitless treasure trove of items and creating, by all counts, a wonderful evening.

As is tradition, this year, the night began with a silent auction, featuring a bunch of really cool pieces donated by local businesses to help the school. For those who have never before attended a silent auction, it involves mingling in a room and drinking champagne while you silently write your bid down next to the item you wish to acquire. It's kind of fun, until you come back around and someone else ha

s written in a higher figure. Then, you hastily scribble down an even higher figure because, dammit, that's yours.

Featured at the auction was everything from furniture to jewelry to a surfboard and even a chainsaw. Every piece was donated by businesses and the community to support the school. And, of course, there was art.

Ben Biddle, the school's headmaster, announced that proceeds from champagne auction sales were

going to help augment teachers' salaries. Joe Palminteri also explained how important good teachers are, saying, "It's like any other business: it's hard to attract good people

and it's hard to keep them," going to assert that, "a lot of people wonder why a private school needs donations. Our school supports a lot of students who couldn't afford to attend without financial aid."

My personal strategy at affairs such as the Pine Peace Auction is to appreciate my beautiful wife in a dress, visit the bar as often and discretely as possible and, hopefully, to not bid on something completely impractical and hopelessly beyond our annual income.

One of the most entertaining parts of the auction was the auctioneer, Steve Blackhall. He fills this role every year, and, if you've never witnessed him in action, it's

just like you might imagine. Yes, he wears suspenders. Yes, he talks really, really fast, and no, you can't take back your bid (it's for the kids, you skinflint).

Ben Biddle started off the live auction with a short speech, in which he stated, "This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pine Peace School...St. John is a gem and deserves nothing less than a thriving, well funded, community school at its center. Bid well, bid generously." Biddle went on to describe the school's very popular and successful scholarship program before dedicating the event to Beth Knight for her tireless efforts over the years. She received a standing ovation and a warm, community feeling enveloped the room.

All of the hard work that Beth Jones and Lori Varlas put into the auction was now being realized. The only question now was how

the bidding would go.

There were some very interesting packages auctioned off during the evening, including a "power lunch" at Caneel Bay with retired Island Administrator Julian Harley, Commissioner Andy Rutnik, Police Chief Angelo Hill, Senator Craig Barshinger, and Caneel General Manager Nikolay Hotze. To see all the packages and the winning bids, visit www.pinepeaceauction.com.

Fred Trayser reluctantly accepted a standing ovation for his leadership on the board for eight years and Steve Simonsen, who each year creates a moving short film that is shown at the event, introduced the Fred Trayser Scholarship, funded by Jerry and Liz Levy.

Speaking about his film, Simonsen explained his process, explaining, "If the first people I show it to don't cry then I go back and edit again."

There were some big players in the room, no mistake. Bottles of champagne were auctioned off for $1,000 a pop, not to mention the incredible vacation packages and some really good deals. Looking around, it suddenly hit me: this is for the kids, kids who are going to get a good education, kids who are going to start the rest of their lives right now, kids whose parents can't afford this otherwise, and that's cool. This event is about the St. John community coming together, whether broke or loaded, to ante up and support our little school perched atop Gifft Hill.