The Sterling Schools Foundation will host its inaugural Blue & Gold Scavenger Quest from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 2, beginning at the SSF Alumni Center.

The communitywide event is designed to bring together alumni, families, friends, and local organizations for a morning of teamwork, exploration, and school pride – all while raising funds to support educational field trips for Sterling students.

There is no cost to participate. Teams of three to five people can register in advance at sterlingschoolsfoundation.org/quest.

“Our goal is to create an event that is both celebratory and impactful,” said Jim Spencer, executive director of the Sterling Schools Foundation. “While fundraising is the ultimate purpose, we also want this to be a day that brings people together, highlights Sterling’s rich history and reminds us what makes this community special.”

Participants will check in at the Alumni Center and receive a swag bag that contains a clue packet, map, and Sterling Schools Foundation items. Teams will then solve clues leading them to historical locations throughout Sterling, completing challenges at each stop before returning to the Alumni Center for a complimentary lunch from Arthur’s Garden Deli.

Awards will be presented to the fastest team to complete the quest and to the team that raises or donates the most money to the foundation. Additional cash prizes and gift cards will be awarded for select challenges along the route.

“There is no charge to sign up, but we are encouraging teams to use the event as an opportunity to support our students,” Spencer said. “We are launching an initiative focused on funding educational field trips, with the long-term vision that no student will ever have to pay to participate in an educationally focused trip.”

Thanks to a generous matching grant from a local charitable organization, every dollar raised through the Blue & Gold Scavenger Quest will be matched, doubling its impact.

“Experiential learning leaves a lasting impression,” Spencer said. “When students are able to connect classroom lessons to real-world experiences, it deepens understanding and sparks curiosity. This event helps make those opportunities accessible to all students.”

The quest also offers participants a chance to learn more about the community’s past. Sterling High School has served students for more than 125 years, and the city of Sterling is approaching 200 years of history.

“Even lifelong residents are often surprised by pieces of our local history,” Spencer said. “This event is a fun way to rediscover Sterling while supporting the next generation.”

Foundation interns spent much of last summer laying the groundwork for the event, identifying locations, crafting clues, and designing challenges to create an engaging experience for teams. The foundation hopes to establish the Blue & Gold Scavenger Quest as an annual tradition.

“We’re excited to invite the community to be part of something new,” Spencer said. “We hope to see Sterling turn out in a big way – solving clues, celebrating together and investing in students.”

For more information or to register a team, visit sterlingschoolsfoundation.org/quest.