On Saturday, February 19, Tritonfest, Notre Dame Academy’s largest fundraiser, returns to its in-person format.

The annual event is attended by over 400 parents, alumni, faculty and community leaders.

With last year’s event being forced online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tritonfest 2022 will be a slice of normalcy in an otherwise abnormal year.

The theme for this year is Give for Good which includes comic book branding and a focus on generous donations for the benefit of the NDA community.

As in past years, visitors can expect an evening with a mass, reception, student speech, dinner, live and silent auctions (emceed by Bill Jartz of WBAY), raffles, music and unforgettable memories.

None of this could happen, of course, without the diligence and planning of Director of Development Geno McKenna, Development Coordinator Claire Teitz, and parent co-chairs Scott and Debbie Ruggles and Jeff and Mary Burich.

In addition to this team, an average of 30 parent and 40 student volunteers help plan and facilitate Tritonfest.

Students can get involved in coat-check, welcoming visitors at the door, selling raffle tickets, and assembly and takedown of the event.

A signup sheet will be posted outside Mr. Kriegl’s door and student participation will count for service hours.

As for right now, McKenna and his team are focusing on securing donations for auctions as well as sponsorships.

Sponsorships range from $500-$25,000.

The goal in any given year is to bring in $150,000 on sponsorships alone, a goal McKenna is “on track” to reach.

“People are feeling pretty generous right now,” he said.

As NDA’s largest fundraiser, Tritonfest looks to bring in a total of $300,000.

The money brought in is used to supplement the school’s general fund, keep tuition low, fund new programs at school and support students in their day-to-day education.

“Tuition here would be about $11,000, but we’re only charging around $7,000.  This helps bridge that gap.  If we didn’t have fundraisers like this, tuition would go up even more,” McKenna explained.

“It also helps support new programs.  This year, we have the Aquinas Learning Program and IB Careers Program. Events like these help us raise money to support these new programs for students,” he continued.

Event-goers can expect many intriguing live and silent auction items.

Some of these include a seven-night Disney package, valued between $6-12,000, that includes Disney park and resort amenities, a student pass to park in the faculty lot at school, various sporting excursions, a full set of braces from the Orthodontic Specialists of Green Bay, a $5,000 H.J. Martin and Son flooring voucher, and many more packages that have yet to be announced.

Tritonfest tickets are on sale online through the NDA website.

They are $100 per person, but for a limited time through January 21, all tickets are half price.

In addition, donations and sponsorships are currently being accepted through www.tritonfest.givesmart.com

“This year, there’s a lot of really positive energy around Tritonfest, and I think it has a lot to do with what’s going on in the world.  People want to get back to normal and by attending Tritonfest it feels like you’re getting back to normal, explained McKenna.

“Not only are you doing that to make yourself happy, it benefits the school in so many ways.  It re-establishes our school community again,” he continued.