By Samantha SLAYBACK

rescenta Valley High School’s sixth annual Korean barbecue reached new heights with the recent Saturday barbecue being the school’s most successful. The event took place in the school’s quad that filled quickly with hungry guests. In addition to barbecued food and drinks, guests enjoyed entertainment. There was also a raffle for sought-after prizes and a bake sale for those seeking to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Each year the Korean barbecue is hosted by the CV Instrumental Music Dept. and the event has increased in popularity each year.

The department’s 1st Co-vice President of Fundraising Tracey Black started the barbecue six years ago.

“We started the Korean barbecue [at CVHS] to encourage more participation from the Korean community because the music department has a very large Korean student population,” said Black.

This year, Theresa Park worked alongside Black as her Korean planning partner.

“She was awesome at bringing in the Korean community and planning the food for the event,” Black said. The event also helped raise funds for the CVIM, which Black referred to as “the music department’s booster club.”

Also helping Black was longtime band director Mathew Schick. One of Schick’s duties was the coordination of ticket sales. This year, the music department sold 700 pre-sale tickets – more than any other year.

During the event, Schick also called out ticket numbers for raffle prizes, surprising guests who had won. This year, raffle tickets were only $1 each and gave ticketholders the chance to win one of approximately 45 prizes donated by local businesses and band families. Some prizes were a coupon for a free car wash and oil change, a $15 iTunes giftcard, a $25 dollar giftcard to Tickle Tree Cafe, and a coupon for a free one-hour massage at Spa Pura. The coveted grand prize, though, included two Disneyland Park Hopper passes along with a “Frozen” tote bag and stuffed characters.

Another of Schick’s jobs was to organize musical entertainment for the day’s festivities. This year’s music stylists included three student groups, a student rock band and, of course, the CV jazz band.

But music wasn’t the only show prepared for those dining on barbecue. The Korean Culture Mission Group also provided entertainment, and the CV Korean class brought traditional Korean elements to the event as it does every year. This year students arranged to have a vibrant Korean drum and fan dance group perform.

This was the first year that the event moved from spring to fall, and the music department was pleased with the change. At the end of the day, the department sold approximately 850 tickets, making this year the most successful Korean barbecue that the CVIM has held.

“The original idea was to try and have one large-scale fundraiser that brought in the most money possible, so that we would not have to have so many small-scale fundraising events during the year,” said Black. “I think this definitely served that purpose.”

Black said that spring is a busier time when more obligations might overlap preventing potential barbecue guests from attending. But holding it in fall made it more of a “kick off” event, thereby encouraging guests to attend and offer support. Many alumni returned to enjoy the food and festivities, and new CV music families took advantage of the event to get to know one another.

“We are hoping this event will grow each year and that it will continue to expand and reach more CV families,” said Black, “even those not in the instrumental music department.”

  Samantha SLAYBACK