Four hundred students wrote letters to companies, took out loans from Willow Glen Elementary School staff members, landed themselves a $1,000 grant from Community Foundation Silicon Valley, and pulled off a fair that they said topped all the rest.

The Renaissance fair began three years ago as a joint-project that combines seventh grade language arts and social studies classes. While learning about the medieval period, students write persuasive letters, learn descriptive writing and practice business skills.

But because of a stagnant economy, language arts teacher Dawn Whitney said people are sending donations directly to the school district instead of funding specific projects like the Renaissance fair.

"The $1,000 grant was really a salvation," Whitney said, who charged $400­$500 on her personal credit card to cover supplies for the fair. "Without that grant, I'm not sure how we would have pulled it off."

As part of its Youth-to-Youth program, the Community Foundation awarded Willow Glen's seventh-graders a $1,000 grant in early May. Willow Glen was one of 23 youth groups that received grants from the Community Foundation's Youth in Philanthropy team.

"We showed them catalogues with costumes that we wanted to buy, pictures from last year's fair and newspaper articles," said Jamie Scarfo, one of three students interviewed by Community Foundation. "It was really exciting to find out we got the grant only a couple days later."

Still, seventh-grade treasurer Josh Dombro, whom the foundation also interviewed, was quick to add, "The grant helped a lot but it didn't cover everything."

In past years, students were able to secure bank sponsors to pay for their traditional witch trials dunk tank, perhaps the most costly piece of equipment at the fair. This year, when no sponsors stepped up to plate, students used up what little donations they could gather and borrowed $75 more from a teacher to cover expenses.

After the fair, seventh-grader Brandon Leis was able to secure a $45 donation from Heritage Bank of Commerce to help pay back the students' loan and insisted that they are slowly, but surely, recovering from their debt.

Because of the lack of sponsorship this year, even vice principle Mike Weir charged an estimated $1,000 on his personal credit card for supplies. Ultimately, Weir said the student clerk, who manages the student body accounts, would compensate staff members who helped out.

But fundraising was only half the assignment. Leis said he spent about three to four weeks on the fair's actual construction and design. And although there was a parent chaperone for every four students, school student council representative Jessica Hartsell said the entire project was student-run.

"Ms. Whitney and Ms. Harbers' only rule was that they would not do it for us," Hartsell said.

"It made us the teachers, the ones in charge of it all," seventh-grader Geoffrey DuBridge said. "We were pretty much running our own class."

But these students turned teachers, who ran their own class for a month, did not forget that they are still only seventh-graders.

"It was really educational and everything, but I think next year we should leave all the money problems up to the parents," said DuBridge.

The fair attracted around 500 students and parents and offered more booths than previous years.

And although excited to see what next year's fair has in store, seventh-grader David Silva provided his own prediction, "Every year, you're supposed to try to top the last year, but I don't think next year is going to be able to top us."