Swampscott students prepare for annual live auction

SWAMPSCOTT – Senior Chris Thomsen is looking forward to putting together his fourth and final annual auction as a part of the TV production program at Swampscott High School – even though he said it will be a very emotional time.?I?ll be there with the people that I grew up with, the people that I?ve filmed with, who I?ve yelled at, who I?ve gone through the auction with getting donors,” he said. “I just think I?m going to have the time of my life.”Thomsen is one of about 50 students, under the direction of teacher Tom Reid, who are handling all aspects of the auction – including planning, hosting, working in the control room and taking bids over the phone on auction nights. Every half hour of the auction, which runs May 19-22 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., different co-hosts, such as alumni or members of a community group, will join students to help sell a variety of items, including a YMCA family membership, SAT prep classes and even mouthguards for an entire sports team.Reid said the auction raised $16,000 last year, and the money goes to the TV production program?s expenses, such as buying and repairing equipment.?When I was hired here in 1995, they said we?ll pay your salary and we?ll build a studio. ? The way it happens, there?s no other money. There?s no annual money,” he said.Thomsen said for sponsors that donate something worth at least $150, the TV production students will create an ad for the business to run during the auction. This week, he said, he plans to go on a boat with Mahi Mahi Harbor Cruises and Events in Salem to film a promo.This year marks the 15th anniversary of the auction, and the students are planning a montage of the best moments of years past, which involves the painstaking task of watching hours of footage.Senior Ashling Quinn, 17, who is also participating in her fourth auction, said her interest in the event predates getting involved in TV production in high school.?I watched the auction for years at home as a child, and I thought it would be cool,” she said. “And I always said, ?I?m going to do that one day.?”Thomsen said this year?s auction preparations have been going well, while also sharing the tale of last year?s mishap, which was a product of the program?s live format.?Live right at 9:30, the screen went black. I was hosting. ? I had to talk into the microphone, alone, for three minutes describing what was going on while the screen was black,” he said.Freshman Kiely Quinn, 15, who is participating in the auction for the first time, added, ” I was watching at home. It was very entertaining. It was probably the best part of the auction.”Besides the TV broadcast, the students are planning a live feed of the auction on the program?s website, swampscotttv.com.Thomsen and Ashling Quinn agreed their favorite part of the auction was the pre-show gathering with pizza and motivational speeches.?It?s pretty cool, because all of us in here consider the kids who take TV production a family. It?s a really nice moment that we have out there,” Thomsen said, with Ashling Quinn adding, “It?s sort of like a locker room moment for a sports team.”Besides the student effort to sustain the TV production program, Reid said he is happy to see the seniors training the lower grades during the auction process.?The kids, I think, should be proud that they keep the program going for the next generation of kids,” he said.