Father Lawrence Seyer, left, event co-chairwoman Natalie Strahl, Our Lady of Mount Carmel School Principal Tracie Simolon, and event co-chairwomen Cristina Ricci and Angela De Bruyn at the school’s 75th anniversary gala dinner and auction. 
Honoree and alumnus Eustacchio Guadagnini with his wife, Merle. 
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School alumni Maddox Denunzio and Vivian Rios. 
Volunteers Toni and John Gadkin. 
Katherine and Peter Madlem. 
A photo of a previous class of students at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. 
Joanna and Roy Barncastle. 
A view of the ballroom at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort in Montecito. 
Lisa and Kevin Monaghan. 
A table centerpiece for the gala dinner and auction. 
The social hour in the outdoor courtyard.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School of Santa Barbara celebrated its 75th anniversary with a gala dinner and auction on Nov. 9 at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort in Montecito.
The black-tie event attracted more than 350 well-dressed attendees. It began at 5 p.m. with a two-hour social hour in the ballroom foyer and outdoor courtyard, followed by a sit-down filet mignon dinner, music, dancing, a big raffle, and silent and live auctions.
“All the proceeds of this event directly benefit the school to keep tuition affordable and to provide scholarships for students in need,” said Tracie Simolon, principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. “Our goal is $200,000 tonight.”
The event co-chairwomen were Angela De Bruyn, Cristina Ricci and Natalie Strahl.
“We are so excited to share that our Adopt-A-Student, the live ask appeal, alone brought in a record-breaking $178,000,” De Bruyn told Noozhawk.
Founded in 1944, Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Catholic school serving 200 pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students from the Santa Barbara area. The school offers a balanced curriculum that includes art, music, physical education and technology taught by a highly qualified staff.
The evening’s special honoree, Eustacchio Guadagnini, is an alumnus (class of 1956) of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who attended the school in its early days in the 1950s. He and his wife, Meryl, have continued their involvement over many years and sent their children to Mount Carmel; they also have grandchildren at the school.
Guadagnini remains active in the life of the parish and has volunteered in many ways to support both the school and the church. Described as a humble man, Guadagnini was honored for his commitment to Catholic education.
Top sponsors included MarBorg Industries, Arlington Financial Advisors, Tileco, American Riviera Bank, Boone Printing, Brand Farms, Investec, Vining Construction, Bishop Garcia Diego High School, FLIR Systems, Kubisch & Ferris Orthodonics, Maureen McDermut & Associates, Reicker Pfau Attorneys, Tutoring Machines, Villanova Preparatory School, Westland Orchids and many others.
Live auction items included a SPEEDVEGAS package, a Disneyland excursion, an overnight stay at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort, an eight-day Bali escape, a Lake Tahoe destination trip and more.
Click here for more information about Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, or email tracies@mountcarmelschool.net. Click here to make an online donation.
— Noozhawk contributing writer Rochelle Rose can be reached at rrose@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.