Movie premiere nets Arcadia High School $300,000

More than $300,000 was raised toward revamping Arcadia High School's classrooms from the Scottsdale world premiere of the motion picture "Bonneville," setting a school district all-time fundraising record.

VIDEO: Check out the scene at the Bonneville premiere

The Feb. 22 event grossed $335,000, with Arcadia receiving a net $300,000 cash, the most raised in the Scottsdale Unified School District.

The Arcadia High School Dads Club organized the event, "Arcadia Goes Hollywood," as part of a goal to reach $444,000 to enable the school to implement technological advancements in its 74 classrooms that tax dollars alone weren't sufficient to cover.

Ernie Nicely, the district's executive director of information systems and technology, said district funding has been inadequate to provide any substantial technology.

"School districts in Arizona just do not get funded very well for capital goods," said Nicely. "We get the same funding as we did 10 years ago. So, due to inflation, there is not a whole lot we can purchase."

All of the event's 600 tickets, ranging from $150 general admission to $350 for VIP access, were sold, said Dan Harkins, CEO of Harkins Theatres.

"The attendance reached beyond our expectations," Harkins said of the event, held at the chain's Camelview 5 Theatres. "The stars put more personal involvement into it than we ever expected. To see Academy Award and Golden Globe winners shaking hands with high school students and parents and hobnobbing with the public; it's an extremely rare event in Arizona."

"Bonneville," a comedic drama that tells the story of friendship on the road, stars Tom Skerritt, Joan Allen, Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates.

Harkins' guest list included all of the movie's main stars and filmmakers except Bates, who was filming in Vancouver.

Phoenix morning-show host Tara Hitchcock of KTVK-TV (Channel 3) hosted the event and legendary rocker Alice Cooper, an honorary Dads Club member, also attended.

"In my 40 years of being in the business, we've never had a premiere like this," said Harkins.The Dads Club is composed of nearly 75 fathers of Arcadia students.

Harkins, a founding Dads Club member and father of two Arcadia students, said, "At first we looked like we were a bunch of dads grasping for an idea and along came the 'Bonneville' premiere and these dads just did an excellent job of making the event work."

"Arcadia Goes Hollywood" marked the first major effort by the Dads Club as a function of the PTO, an organization mostly composed of mothers, Harkins said.

Harkins said the funds raised will help students keep up with the level of technology-enhanced learning they were exposed to in grade school and at home.

"Arcadia High School is a brand-new school and we want the technology in the classroom to compare with private schools," said Harkins. "We thought it would take us three to four years, but after the premiere, we were able to get 50 of the 74 classrooms renovated. We're hoping that we can probably get it all done now in two to three years."

Nicely said this particular group started at the elementary level when a group of fathers created Hopi Dads to raise funds for technology in Hopi Elementary School.

"These parents took it upon themselves to create Hopi Dads," said Nicely. "They started with basic technology and progressed along with smart boards, projectors, and document cameras. Then two years ago, that group of parents did the same thing at Ingleside (Elementary School). It's really a progression of the same theme."

In addition to the equipment, Nicely said a portion of the funds raised will go toward paying teachers to receive outside training on how to incorporate technology into their lesson plans.

Funds will also be dedicated to a full-time mentor to assist teachers in the classroom and provide brief in-services after school to further incorporate technology into the classroom.

Harkins said until now, the club's fundraisers have been golf tournaments and auctions that were lucky to raise $80,000.

"This was really an extraordinary event," said Harkins.