On April 21, friends, parents, and benefactors of St. Monica Academy attended the Gatsby Gala to raise funds to support the school’s classical Catholic education. The event was held at the Pasadena Hilton and included silent and live auctions, dinner, dancing, and live music from the Halpin Family Band.

Due to the generosity of the SMA community, the event raised more than $250,000. Proceeds benefit the school’s annual operations, including scholarships, and make it possible for St. Monica Academy to maintain its mission of providing an excellent classical education at an affordable rate of tuition.

The event honored Ostia Award recipient Stephen Grimm for his service as SMA’s choir director. Treasurer of the board Khushro Ghandhi presented the award with a tribute to Grimm’s musical genius and the centrality of choral music in SMA’s program. In particular, Ghandhi praised Grimm for his understanding of the primary benefit of choral singing: spiritual formation.

After receiving the award, Grimm announced that he will be back again next year and then invited all of his current and past students to join him in the front of the ballroom for a performance of “Ave Maria” and “Shut de Door.”

Grimm has been serving SMA’s students since its inception in 2001.

St. Monica Academy, an independent, Catholic, coeducational school for grades one through 12, is at the forefront of a renaissance in classical education, a time-honored method of teaching that inspires students to excel academically and morally. Founded by parents in 2001, the school provides 250 students in grades one through 12 with an academically rigorous education using a classical curriculum.

St. Monica Academy is located at 2361 Del Mar Road in Montrose.