Hillsdale Academy is offering a Johnny T’s meal to college students for only $5.
The private school is holding a Mediterranean feast and silent auction to raise money for its seniors’ and juniors’ trip to Greece and Italy at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 4 in Hillsdale Academy’s Commons.
Rick Tropiano, owner of Johnny T’s, accompanied his son on the trip two years ago and is providing the food for the dinner.
The menu includes Greek gyros, spaghetti and meatballs, stuffed shells, homemade bread, and salad. Homemade gelato and Italian ice will top off the meal. Tropiano will also make Sicilian bread soup that he and Hillsdale College Provost David Whalen had together in Italy and have since learned to replicate.
“Dr. Whalen worked really hard to figure it out,” said Dedra Birzer, a substitute teacher at the academy.
The meal costs $5 for children 6-11 and college students and $7 for ages 12 and up. Raffle tickets are $10. First prize is $1,000, second prize is a tablet computer, and third prize is tickets to a University of Michigan home football game.
In its biggest trip ever, Hillsdale Academy, led by Headmaster Kenneth Calvert, is taking 44 juniors and senior to the ancient lands. With proceeds from the dinner, served from 5:30-7 p.m., combined with the silent auction, the academy hopes to raise $1,000 toward each student’s travel costs, Birzer said.
“This trip is a capstone of everything they’ve done,” she said. “Some of these kids have been together since kindergarten.”