PHOTO UPDATE: Bid Online for Front-Row Seats to Graduation

Bidding for front-row seats goes high-tech. 

The is auctioning off front-row seats to graduation at Geneva High School and promotion ceremonies at Geneva Middle Schools North and South.

Raffling of these prized spots (as well as front-row seats to Christmas concerts, fifth-grade plays and other high-demand events) have been a staple of school-related fund-raisers for years. But to bid on the seats, the person had to actually be at the event. 

This places the contest before anyone with an Internet connection.

Schools have donated the following to GAF:

• Six seats to Geneva High School’s May 29 graduation.
• Four seats for North’s White Team promotion, 6 p.m. June 6
• Four seats for North’s Blue Team promotion, 7:30 p.m. June 6
• Four seats for South’s White Team promotion, 6:45 p.m. June 6
• Four seats for South’s Blue Team promotion., 5:15 p.m. June 6

Interested parents (or grandparents) need merely visit the GAF site, fill in the online auction form and send it in. Bidding is updated manually, by the webmaster, periodically throughout the day. As of Wednesday morning, the high bids (which reflected bidding through Monday, April 18) stood at 

• GHS: $200
• North/White: $150
• North/Blue: $70
• South/White: $70
• South/Blue: $60

That $200 bid for GHS graduation? One year at the then-annual GAF fund-raising dinner-dance, bidding for graduation tickets was fast and furious, reaching more than $1,000. Tom Rogers (now principal of GHS) immediately stood up and doubled the number of tickets and GAF was able to accept both bids, for a tidy profit to the not-for-profit organization that raises money for Geneva schools.

Bidding ends at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 28. Winners will be notified after bidding closes.

This truly is a case where participants can, as the old saw goes, vote early and often!