Chartwell School's Gala Black-Tie Fundraiser ‘Party in a Pear Tree’ Set for Dec. 5th in Pebble Beach

In a tradition that dates back to 1993, The Chartwell School in Seaside presents its annual fundraising gala, “Party in a Pear Tree,” Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach.

The gala black-tie event features a sumptuous dinner, live music, dancing, and live and silent auctions in a stunning location. Funds raised from the event support financial aid and educational programming for students at Chartwell School, which is dedicated to the needs of students in grades K-12 who have been diagnosed with dyslexia and other language-related learning variations.

“Chartwell provides each student with a compassionate, individualized education that imparts the skills, strategies, and outlook they need to overcome their past struggles and apply their unique learning styles to succeed in college and their careers,” said Rohan Ramnathkar, Chartwell Director of Advancement, about the school's mission.

To further emphasize the goals and achievements of the school, one of its alumnus, Dugan O'Neal, an acclaimed up-and-coming commercial and music video writer, actor and director, will serve as master of ceremonies for the event.

“I feel honored and happy to come back and be a part of it. I'm excited. It'll be awesome,” said O’Neal, 32, who attended Chartwell in 1990-92. “I wouldn't have been able to do what I'm doing now if I hadn't gone to Chartwell. I would have been a different person. It shaped my entire life and gave me the tools I needed to go back into the public school system.”

O’Neal, who spent his formative years on the Monterey Peninsula before moving to Los Angeles, has directed videos for such popular artists as Haim, Chromeo, Ellie Goulding and TV on the Radio as well as TV series and films. His mother is artist Mollie O'Neal and his father is renowned photographer Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal, who made his name as a rock ’n’ roll photographer in the ’60s and ’70s. Both still live and work on the Monterey Peninsula.

The gala event starts at 6 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner and live and Fund-an-Item auctions with Hunter Finnell as auctioneer. At 9 p.m. there will be dancing to the Alison Sharino Band.

Fund-an-Item, also known as Raise-the-Paddle, provides an opportunity for guests to make cash donations to directly support financial aid, educational programming, and/or special projects. Guests raise their bid number when the auctioneer calls out the amount they wish to donate. Common Fund-an-Item donations range from $250 to $20,000 or more.

Event sponsors include Ocean Mist Farms and The McMahan Family. Wine sponsors are Blair Estate Wines, Constellation Brands Inc. and Holman Ranch Vineyards.

Tickets are $225 per person and are available by contacting the school at (831) 394-3468 or via email: [email protected].

About Chartwell School
Established in 1983, Chartwell School empowers bright students with language-based learning variations, including dyslexia. Chartwell does this in grades K-12 by offering them the knowledge, creativity, and skills in self-advocacy and perseverance needed to thrive in college and beyond.

Chartwell offers a full K-12 mainstream curriculum that meets or exceeds California state standards. It uses research-based methodologies to help students overcome learning variations while also unleashing their exceptional minds.

Chartwell is one of the oldest established schools for students with learning variations. In addition:

>Chartwell is the only school on the Central Coast with a project-based learning curriculum for high school students with learning variations.
>The school is one of the few schools with college prep courses for high school students with learning variations.
>Chartwell has small class sizes, with an average of eight students per class and student-to-teacher ratios from 4:1 to 5:1.
>Last year, Chartwell provided 56% of student families with financial aid or tuition support totaling over $400,000.
>Chartwell is a green campus with a Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices.) certification, one of the first Platinum LEED campuses in the country.

Chartwell School, 2511 Numa Watson Road, Seaside, CA 93955
(831) 394-3468
[email protected]
www.chartwell.org