On the evening of April 23 in the Altria Theatre ballroom, the Maggie Walker Foundation hosted its first in-person Night of the Dragon since 2020. The event was held in order to raise funds for the school, and it tends to earn the majority of monetary donations for the year. Typically, the Night of the Dragon consists of parents and alumni celebrating, reconnecting, and dining together, alongside auctions and entertainment planned entirely by the Foundation.

“Organizing Night of the Dragon was a terrific experience because of the tremendous outpouring of support for our school,” explains Veronica Chronodolsky, a member of the Foundation’s organizing committee. “The support is from our local business community who generously donates auction items for the event—many annually—and also parents of students and friends of the school who donate auction items, as well as giving their time and resources to make it a spectacular evening.”

In previous years, the in-person event had a silent auction, but this year it included both a silent auction and an online auction. This was a change inspired by the 2021 Night of the Dragon, when the bidding was exclusively virtual. According to MLWGS Director Dr. Robert Lowerre, this change was actually beneficial to the fund-raising process. “Having components from both years allowed for a more seamless process, and having people on both platforms creates for a more efficient and beneficial auction, allowing for more people to participate and more interactivity from the audience.” As a result of this more effective process, it is likely that the virtual auction will continue to be a part of the event in the future.

Another highlight of the night was a group performance by the Bhangra team. Despite this being their first year at the event, they turned out to be a strong favorite among attendees, providing them with a unique experience. “The most memorable part of the night for me was seeing Bhangra perform because I love seeing the students share their talents and have fun,” noted Chronodolsky, echoing the sentiment of multiple other attendees. It seemed to be a great representation of our school’s talent to encourage more bidding and donations. The members of the Bhangra club also enjoyed the experience, as they were proud to assist in raising funds for the school and help facilitate the event. Many Bhangra club members also noted that they hope to continue to perform at the event in years to come.

In the future, Lowerre stated that he would like to expand the event to include more teachers and staff of Maggie Walker. Although all teachers are offered free admission to the event, many don’t attend. He stated, “The experience would be amazing for teachers as well… In future years, I hope to see more teachers attend such a memorable evening.”

The Night of the Dragon was a resounding success, and Lowerre revealed that the school raised almost 90,000 dollars for the Foundation this year. With the additions of several new initiatives such as the hybrid auction, the Night of the Dragon is definitely an event that will continue to remain a long-lasting tradition for the school for years to come.