St. Francis juniors and seniors bid to win a catered burrito lunch with their favorite teacher during the tsunami relief auction. All proceeds went to the Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund.

Several fund-raising efforts in the St. Francis High School community have netted more than $12,000 for tsunami relief funds.

The Associated Student Body and Student Council sponsored a live auction during lunch Jan. 31 to benefit the tsunami relief funds. Using paper plate bid paddles, students eagerly vied for rarities such as shaving the head of their favorite teacher and a “Get Out of Detention Pass.” Two students paid $90 each to have a catered burrito lunch with popular literature and government teacher Don Carroll. Other popular items included being chauffeured to class for a day in a golf cart and special seating at athletic events. The student auction of items donated by faculty members or departments, raised about $1,000.

The St. Francis monthly mission fund collected more than $3,400 for the Catholic Relief Services’ tsunami fund.

In addition, the St. Francis High School Band, in cooperation with seven other local high school bands, held a concert to benefit the American Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund on Jan. 27. St. Francis, Homestead, Saratoga, Los Altos, Riordan and Gunn High schools and Kennedy Middle School participated in the concert, which attracted 500 people to Spangenberg Theater and raised nearly $8,000 in donations.

St. Francis Band Director Danna Mitchell spearheaded the concert, said the idea came to her over the holiday break while watching news reports.

“I knew I wanted to do something to help,” said Mitchell. “I recruited the help of band volunteers, who formed teams to run the concert’s backstage area and ticket sales and serve as ushers.”

Choirs sang, and orchestras, bands and a chamber ensemble played for nearly four hours. The Saratoga High School Wind Ensemble closed the concert with “America the Beautiful” as guests sang along.

“We started and ended the concert talking about how blessed we are to live in America, and how the poorest American is still richer than many in some countries,” Mitchell explained. “People really gave from their hearts.

“The students who were involved felt great about themselves and what they accomplished after the concert. They all had a lot of homework to do and tests to study for, but for a brief moment, they cared more about helping the victims of this tragic event than getting a perfect score on their exams.”