To This

In July 2017, we started what seemed like an impossible task: raise $100,000 to replace the seats in the William M. Kelley auditorium.

In October 2018, we had a joyous celebration to commemorate the $172,000 raised that not only replaced seats, but also updated the lighting and replaced the whole sound system in the auditorium. What an incredible success story!

Alumni and friends  of William Kelley School (including many local businesses) helped sponsor seats through donations. Each seat cost $200 to install and, therefore, to sponsor. Individuals or groups who donated $200 (or more!) are honored with an engraved plaque on the sponsored seat(s). Please roam the aisles and check out all of the individuals, groups, and businesses who continue to support the great work that happens at this school.

In addition to individual donations, we received two large grants. The Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation granted William Kelley $30,000 towards the new seats. The Cliffs Foundation granted William Kelley $30,000 to help fund the new sound system. We are overwhelmed with gratitude.

We'd also like to acknowledge that we received an anonymous $50,000 donation towards the auditorium renovation project that helped push us to our goal and beyond!

We are so lucky at William M. Kelley School to be surrounded by a community that values the students and the fine arts enough to support this project. At the end of the day, it really isn't the seats or the sound system that make the auditorium so great - it's the commitment our community has to all of the events that have graced the stage and will continue to do so for many years to come! Thank you!

Katie Fritz, November, 2018

Check out some photos of the project in our photo gallery!

You Can Still Sponsor A Seat!!

The WKS Auditorium is home to band concerts, choir concerts, one act play performances, community theater performances, Arts Board sponsored programs for students and community alike, piano recitals, Prairie Fire, graduation, and so much more!  The auditorium is a part of our community.

If you, or you and a group of WKS-loving friends, would like to sponsor a whole seat, your name (or the name of someone you’d like to honor) will be engraved in a metal plaque on that seat.

The fundraising goal for replacing auditorium seats has been achieved through the generous contributions of WKS Alumni and many others. Contributions to the WKS Sponsor A Seat Campaign received after January 1, 2018 will be used for other much-needed improvements to the auditorium.

Make a Donation Now

After you have completed the payment process, you will be directed to a form to capture additional information about your donation.  Please be patient as this can take a few seconds.

Mail Your Donation

You can also mail your contribution using this downloadable form.

For questions or to submit your donation, contact Katie Fritz:

William M. Kelley School
c/o Katie Fritz
137 Banks Blvd
Silver Bay, MN 55614

kfritz@isd381.org

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