On Feb. 11, parents, staff and community members gathered at The Opera House in Los Gatos for the school's second annual fundraising gala, with a "Time Warp" theme.

"This year, we knew we wanted to have dancing," says Anna Holder, Schallenberger Home and School Association Vice President and event chairperson. "We started talking about different eras of music and realized we all had different memories. We couldn't settle on one era."

According to home and school treasurer Cindy Bullock, several attendees dressed to the hilt in yesteryear's hottest fashions, which ranged from '50s-era poodle skirts to polka dots and puffed sleeves straight out of the 1980s.

"People either dressed up in clothing from a particular era or else dressed nicely," she says. "You had people that took it with the theme or who decided to dress nicely for Valentine's Day."

No matter what the garb, parents danced the night away to music provided by parent Raffi Nalvarian--also known as King Raffi of KEZR 106.5.

"We were all sore the next day from dancing so much," Bullock says. "The dance floor was always packed."

And a chocolate fondue fountain added a sweet surprise to the evening.

"People were taking their glasses over to the fountain," Holder says, laughing. "We were like kids in a candy shop."

For a few lucky participants, the real treat of the evening was the silent and live auction. Bidders competed for prizes--all of which were donated by community members and businesses--like golf and vacation packages, 49ers tickets, ski trips and dinners. Some prizes, however, were entirely practical, like a reserved front row and two parking spaces for the fifth grade graduation.

Holder says many parents appreciated the opportunity to hit the town for a good cause.

"The common theme I heard was that it was wonderful to be able to have a date night," she says.

Yet organizing the gala wasn't all fun and games. Holder says volunteers from the Schallenberger Home and School Association began working in early October to coordinate the event.

"A handful of people pulled it off," she says. "I was appreciative and pleased with the outcome."

"Time Warp" was the second time the home and school association has united to organize a gala event. The fundraiser was added as a supplement to the school's annual walkathon. The gala, however, requires fewer volunteers than the walkathon and provides parents and staff with the opportunity to enjoy each other's company outside of school, Holder says.

Without fundraisers such as the gala, the school would be without extracurricular activities like music and field trips.

"Some programs wouldn't survive if we didn't have these fundraisers," she adds.