The first annual Mustang Gala, an end-of-the-year banquet that will award student athletes for their participation and achievement, will be held Sun. April 30 in the Owings Mills gymnasium.

With Stevenson’s athletics department expanding in size to include 27 NCAA sports teams, Melissa Button, the assistant to the director of athletics, was asked to update the traditional end-of-the-year athletics awards banquet. Student athletes were added to the planning committee for their input and ideas as well. “The new format will be more streamlined and exciting,” said Button.

The event is semi-formal and will begin with appetizers and mocktails from 5-6 p.m.  The “StevieU Awards” portion of the event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 8 p.m. A silent auction will help raise money for the Stevenson athletics department and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). An after-party with music and dancing will conclude the event.

An exclusive ticket sale is currently in place for senior athletes from April 2-15. Tickets after April 15 are available for purchase by other student athletes as well as family members, friends and alumni. The cost of each student ticket is $10 and adult tickets are sold for $20. Student athlete tickets will be sold in the main athletic office. Parents, staff, and alumni can purchase tickets through TicketLeap. Ticket sales will help to cover the catering expenses for the event. The seniors’ invitations will be hand-delivered by coaches, and the invitations purchased by their family members will be mailed to their homes.

Family members and friends of student athletes can purchase program ‘Shoutouts’ at the cost of $50 for half of a page and $90 for a whole page, with proceeds benefiting Stevenson’s student athletes.

“The event will be something new. We’re hoping it goes well,” said Button. There are 89 senior student athletes participating in NCAA sports on campus. This event is their time to be congratulated for their athletic accomplishments.