Gala Auction Items Review

Appleby's In the Night Garden gala, which occurred this past weekend (April 25) to much anticipation and fanfare, had a silent and live auction as fundraising events. The Appleby Hound gained access to a list of silent and live auction items, and we decided to place some (not all!) of these items on a tier list.

Note that we are ranking, subjectively, on how much this appeals to us. Remember that all of these items sold, which means that they were valuable to someone (probably not an Appleby student though, for some of these).

Alright, let's begin, with a selection of silent auction items!

Parking Perk 1 reserved parking spot on campus for the entire 26-27 school year — Final sold price: $3600

Parking is horrible at Appleby during pick-up and drop-off times, but if you do not remain on campus for excessive hours there shouldn't be issues with parking, in my experience. $3600 plus oil fees would be enough to just ride the school bus to Appleby instead. D tier.

Front-row Fast Pass 6 reserved front-row seats at (lot 1) the '26 or (lot 2) the '27 graduation ceremonies — Final sold price: $1200 for '26, $6200 for '27

Front-row at grad ceremony gives you the best photo ops and is a special way to commemorate a once-in-a-lifetime event. Although I do question why there is such a big price difference between the '26 and '27 final sold prices — perhaps our grad class is just that unpopular. A tier.

Campfire Dreams A 4-day, 3-night summer trip to Temagami for 8 — Final sold price: $4600

Temagami is such a fun experience, and it gives visitors a newfound appreciation of nature. Going in August removes all the pain of cold fall/winter nights, with all of the natural beauty. For the experience alone, this is exceptional. S tier.

Paddles with Purpose 2 paddles hand-painted by the Arts council — Final sold price: $285

I had the honour of witnessing Arts council members personally paint this, and I can assure whoever bought this that many hours of their lives were spent on this instead of pursuing hopes and dreams. Although — I am slightly concerned about the paint peeling off, which may restrict the actual use of the paddles. A tier.

Entertain in Style Cheese board imprinted with the Appleby logo — Final sold price: $140

An innovative idea, made through much effort by an Appleby parent. For a cheeseboard, $140 seems a little excessive, even if it is branded. Appleby students in Tech Design also can just use the CNC machines in the design lab to create a similar product. D tier.

Patronage and Possibility Rent a studio at Oakville Galleries, also includes patron membership for OG — Final sold price: $1800

OG has a fantastic location, and the gardens surrounding it are quite amazing. It is a smaller space however, which makes it somewhat impractical for events. The art there showcases many local artists and is absolutely wonderful — I highly encourage a visit in the summer, as it is free. B tier.

Your Sports Facility Awaits 1 hour rental of either the Double Gym or the Arena — Final sold price: $360

What could one do in only 1 hour with the gym or arena? Too short for a full-length game, and suboptimal location for a gathering. $360 is not that far off from what clubs pay hourly for these facilities anyways. However, the facilities are amazing. C tier.

Holt Renfrew VIP Shopping Experience At Holt Renfrew Square One — a one-day shopping experience with a private shopper, champagne lunch, facials, and a $3500 gift card — Final sold price: $5000

I am unable to rank this effectively, because of my inexperience with such experiences, Holt Renfrew, and Square One in general. I'll give it a middle-of-the-road ranking then, though it might be awesome and I'm just oblivious. B tier.

Print! Scan! Win! 1 Canon PIXMA TR4720 — Final sold price: $100

This is flat cheaper or equal to what is offered on the Internet. The reason this isn't in S is because online forums suggest that the printer is unreliable sometimes. A tier.

Living Art of Bonsai A succulent bonsai display — Final sold price: $120

I've never witnessed succulents being made into bonsai displays before, only trees, so this certainly is quite unique. $120 may be a little excessive, but succulents grow and reproduce (unlike most bonsai trees) so repotting is possible. B tier.

We the North Game Night 2 Raptors game tickets, in the lower-level bowl — Final sold price: $725

Raptors are amazing to watch, if you love basketball. $725 is almost exactly the ticket price. No further comment needed here. A tier.

Pizza Perfection One Vida by PADERNO portable 12-in pizza oven — Final sold price: $390

For the pizza lovers! Though probably inferior to stone/brick ovens, this still probably produces better results than a regular oven. $390 is also almost exactly the selling price from Canadian Tire, so still a good deal. B tier.

A Night of Passion at the Opera Two tickets to the opera Werther at the Four Seasons Centre — Final sold price: $240

Ticket prices on the website are much, much cheaper than this (~$80 per ticket). To be fair, donating is an excellent goodwill gesture, but this price is simply too high, regardless of the quality of the experience. D tier.

The below were some of the live auction items.

World Cup: Live and Legendary Two premium tickets to the World Cup Panama vs. Croatia game — Final sold price: Unknown

The World Cup in Toronto is a much-anticipated event. However, given that I do not know the final sold price, I cannot compare it to ticket prices. Category 1 tickets (the best ones) are extremely sought-after. A tier.

Diamond Bracelet Bracelet with 53 diamonds totalling 5.2 carats, encrusted with 18 karat gold — Final sold price: Unknown, rumoured to be above $25,000

Due to my inexperience with such valuable items, I am completely unable to comment on this extreme luxury. Sorry. S tier?

Dinner with the Principal Dinner for 8 with Mr. Van Nostrand at his house — Final sold price: Unknown, rumoured to be $3,000–$10,000

Mr. Van Nostrand is an absolute pleasure to be around, and having dinner with him is a privilege. That being said, the final sold price of this seems quite high, though the value is technically priceless. B tier.

A Taste of China Package of 3 meals at 3 premier Chinese restaurants in the GTA — Final sold price: Unknown, rumoured to be >$3,000

Some of the restaurants on this list are amazing, though I doubt the $3,000 pricing, especially with QJD Peking Duck (which I have never seen a bill be larger than $500 in, even with 8 people) and Haidilao Hot Pot (which is very delicious and has amazing service, though once again relatively inexpensive). Due to the high valuation, this is ranked low, though I highly encourage trying the above two restaurants' more affordable options. C tier.

Out of the total 187 items at the auction, most were excluded. Note that two major categories were excluded out of the possible disinterest of the student body: wellness activities (e.g. spa, wellness, etc.) and vacations.

It does serve well to mention though that these were donated to the school at no cost, so the auction was a fundraising event for the school's financial aid, wellbeing, and Cockwell Hall initiatives. Ultimately, all money paid goes toward serving the student body — an honourable cause.