The curtain officially dropped Friday on the 2014 Duck Pluck Festival with the presentation of an oversized $18,515 “check” symbolizing the sum raised at this year’s funfest beside Inderkum High School.
Natomas Schools Foundation President Robynne Rose-Haymer signed the symbolic check in a brief ceremony at Natomas High School that included NUSD Trustee Teri Burns, Superintendent Chris Evans, NHS students Gabriel Martinez and Joceline Lopez, and Natomas Schools Foundation board members Anna Vue, Kim Smith and Javier Carrillo.
Key Duck Pluck volunteers who attended today’s check presentation included Sonia Mercado, Courtney Cucchi, and two officials of Natomas Towing -- Sally Andrade and Dino Bonilla.
The Duck Pluck Festival typically is the largest single fundraiser of the nonprofit Natomas Schools Foundation, which raises money to benefit charter and non-charter schools that work together in planning the annual celebration.
Of the $18,515 in festival proceeds this year, campuses will receive varying amounts based on the number of tickets they sold for the Duck Pluck raffle and from revenue they generated at game booths operated by school volunteers.
The highlight of each Duck Pluck Festival is its raffle, featuring $100 tickets for the chance to win a $10,000 grand prize. Four people teamed to buy this year’s winning ticket: Rachel Dennis, Janelle Arsick, Erin Morton and Elena Murray from Heron School.
During a ceremony at this year’s festival, the Natomas Schools Foundation awarded $5,000 in college scholarships to seven high school students. Three of the scholarships were for $1,000 apiece, four were for $500 apiece.
Scholarship winners were Sharon Ng and Vanessa Smith of Inderkum High; Ashley Manlapaz-Pineda and Jazmene Foster of Natomas High; Lauren Campbell of Natomas Charter High School; and Sierra Dwyer-Voss and Samantha Masters of NP3 High School.
