In February, the Chelsea High School softball team will be hosting their annual spaghetti dinner and silent auction. Both help fund the team’s expenses. Without this money, the team would have to rely on the small budget the school gives them. The success of this dinner would not be possible without the help of the players, parents, coaches, and most importantly the community. 

“When we first started [doing the spaghetti dinners], it was pretty small, but it’s grown exponentially as time has gone on,” softball coach Jeff Connelly said.

At the last spaghetti dinner, more than 600 people attended, and even more participated in the silent auction. The team ended up raising $18,000 in funds that all go towards things that the school’s small budget wouldn’t be able to afford.

“Most of [the funds] go to our spring break trip, but we also use it to buy uniforms, and we pay for things at the field to be repaired,” Connelly said.

The spring break trip is a huge part of being on the softball team. Every year, the team goes to Florida and shares a big house. They spend the trip practicing softball, hanging out on the beach, and bonding with each other.

“Being on a spring break trip like this is not normal, and I know how grateful I am for it because it’s just such an amazing experience,” Lilly Mccalla (‘26) said. “We have so much fun, and I think it’s why our program is so successful,” 

Without the spaghetti dinner, the team wouldn’t have enough money for the trip. And without the trip, the team wouldn’t be able to have the strong connections they have today. But, the dinner itself takes everyone’s help.

”We get a lot of help from not only the players, but also the parents, the school, and the people in the kitchen come in to work for free to help us, all of which makes [the spaghetti dinner] actually happen,” Connelly said.

The dinner is also a chance to bring the softball team and the community closer together. The community supports the team in many ways, and having a bond with them is extremely important.

“It’s a chance to bond with the people in our community because they support us a lot,” Mccalla said.

Having connections with the community is extremely important, but being able to maintain these connections takes help from everyone.

“We’re good because everyone’s involved, players, parents, coaches, and as a result is one of the reasons we excel,” Connelly said.