Chesterton Academy was delighted to host our 2024 Gala on Saturday, May 11, 2024 at the DoubleTree hotel just outside Universal Studios.

It was a spectacular night, full of beauty and hope, with over 500 people in attendance. Thanks to their support, we were able to raise over $376,000 in one evening. Praise God!

Brandon Vogt, our founder and chairman, began the evening by sharing a recent survey in which 80% of Americans said “the country is heading in the wrong direction.” Notably, that number was consistent across nearly every demographic. It didn't matter a person’s political party, religion, or state of residency. Across every demographic, the overwhelming majority of Americans believe that our country, our culture, is heading in the wrong direction.

But if things are that bad, where’s the good news today? Where can we find encouragement? Where are the signs of hope?

Well, as Brandon shared, if you’re hungry for hope—hope for the culture, hope for the Church, hope for the future—you’ll find it at Chesterton Academy of Orlando.

This school is a fountain of hope, as we are forming saints for the Church and heroes for the culture.

Guests then enjoyed a short five-minute video offering a taste of the hope we find in Chesterton each day:

Next, we heard from our Headmaster, Jim Hickel. Jim has served as Headmaster in five different classical Catholic schools over 40 years. He was running classical schools long before classical education was cool. He has seen it all, done it all, and he’s been successful everywhere he has been. We’re just so pleased to have him lead our school.

Mr. Hickel explained what classical Catholic education is. He also shared, having seen many different schools and forms of classical education, why the Chesterton model works so well, why it’s uniquely effective at cultivating wisdom, virtue, and wonder among the students—and why it gives hope to the rest of us.

Chairman Brandon Vogt then offered a "Vision for the Future." He shared all the exciting developments at our school, most notably the three priests now offering regular Mass on our campus: Fr. William Holiday (Incarnation), Fr. Josh Swallows (Most Precious Blood), and Fr. Glenn Lopez (Most Precious Blood).

Brandon also explained that we need to keep all that momentum going next year at Chesterton Academy. Specifically, we needed to raise $325,000 at the Gala to cover our basic operating expenses for next school year. 

He also unveiled three special projects we hope to complete this summer:

PROJECT 1 - Rome Pilgrimage Fund ($12,000)

Each year, all Chesterton seniors go on a life-changing, ten-day pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi. They fundraise their own expenses but this fund will allow us to send staff and chaperones on the trip.

PROJECT 2 - New Drama Stage ($24,000)

We don't currently have a dedicated drama space. This summer we hope to build an innovative new drama stage that folds out from the wall of our gymnasium, like a Murphy bed. This will allow many more performances and events each year.

PROJECT 3 - Chapel Phase #2 ($30,000)

We now have a beautiful design for our school chapel. It will likely take several years to build and the all-in cost will be around $500,000. But last summer we completed Phase #1, primarily demolition and expansion, and this summer we hope to complete Phase #2: the confessional, sacristy, and remaining structural work.

Those three projects would accelerate the school to the next level and brought the total goal for the evening to $391,000.

We then welcome the Chesterton Academy student choir onto stage. Under our choir director, Mr. Cristian Caiola, students performed two songs: I’m Dreaming of Home and the Salve Regina.

The choir was followed by three testimonies. Senior students Santiago Chang and Joelle Scott, who make up half of our first graduating class at Chesterton,  shared what the school has meant to them and how it has transformed their lives. John and Lauren Taylor, founding board members whose daughter, Kate, attends the school as a freshman, spoke about what Chesterton has meant for their daughter and why they so strongly support the school.

Our keynote speaker, Andrew Youngblood, then spoke about the impact of classical, Catholic education. Sharing from his own experience and stories of students from across the Chesterton Schools Network, he explained how lives are transformed by the Chesterton model as it introduces truth, goodness, and beauty to young hearts, guiding them to the source of all three—God.

The evening then concluded with an opportunity for guests to join this great mission.

By the grace of God, we are thrilled to announce that the total raised that night in gifts and pledges exceeded $376,000!

That not only covers our basic operating expenses but will even allow us to complete one or two of the special summer projects.

(If you’re able to help us raise the final $15,000, so we can complete all three summer projects, we sure would be grateful! Just click below to donate.)

We are beyond grateful to God. The Lord has blessed this high school in so many concrete ways, and the Gala evening was just the latest instance of his Provident care.

Once the night drew to a close, we immediately began planning for next year's Gala. We hope to see you then!

Thanks to Victora Ybarra Photography for these wonderful photos!