Here are some photos from the PTA's FB account if you are interested:

https://www.facebook.com/ShepherdElemPTA/photos_stream

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm........... 3 ballrooms at the Mayflower. Sounds like a beautiful event. Who were you gala chairs, maybe other schools need to hire them.

A few parents and community members did the bulk of the work. I am not normally into events like that but just about everything was really well done and it looked like people were having a good time. I met several couples with incoming children, which was really nice.

Leland Melvin's keynote was short and sweet! He donated one of his space-worn NASA patches - talk about a unique item to display in your home!

Bruce Johnson also did a nice job as emcee.

Anonymous wrote:Hmmmm........... 3 ballrooms at the Mayflower. Sounds like a beautiful event. Who were you gala chairs, maybe other schools need to hire them.

It wasn't actually 3 full ballrooms. There was one ballroom where the dinner, live auction, and dancing took place. There were also 2 smaller rooms (I think they were small sections closed off from larger rooms or ballroms) where the silent auction and casino games took place.

we are an incoming Shepherd family and had a great time at the gala meeting current parents and supporters. we felt very welcomed by all.

Hmmmm........... 3 ballrooms at the Mayflower. Sounds like a beautiful event. Who were you gala chairs, maybe other schools need to hire them.

DH and I had a fabulous time at the gala! We got to get dressed up, we bid on a few items, and I finally learned how to play blackjack! The hotel was beautiful and everyone looked wonderful. The PTA did an amazing job organizing the event, and I can't wait to find out how much money was raised.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds awesome. What was attire like?

Thanks! The invite said "cocktail" attire. There was quite a range, from simple party dresses to full gowns.

PP. I meant to say *full-length* gowns.

It was nice in that there was so much variety. Overall, the gala had a pretty down-to-earth feel.

Huh. 3 ballrooms at the Mayflower feels down to earth to you. Interesting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sounds awesome. What was attire like?

Thanks! The invite said "cocktail" attire. There was quite a range, from simple party dresses to full gowns.

PP. I meant to say *full-length* gowns.

It was nice in that there was so much variety. Overall, the gala had a pretty down-to-earth feel.

Anonymous wrote:Sounds awesome. What was attire like?

Thanks! The invite said "cocktail" attire. There was quite a range, from simple party dresses to full gowns.

Anonymous wrote:Sounds nice. The school must of hired a party planner because I can't see a PTA pulling this off.

Thank you. It was all parents and community supporters who pulled it off. It is a small school, and we don't have the budget to hire a party planner.

Sounds nice. The school must of hired a party planner because I can't see a PTA pulling this off.

Sounds awesome. What was attire like?

It was really nice. Sold out at 300 attendees--last year's had only 124 attendees. There were three different ballrooms at the Mayflower: one for sit-down dinner and program including live auction, one for casino, and one for silent auction (Chinese room). Crowd was a mix of current families, Shepherd alum, neighbors/community members, etc.

I'm sure others will post about the local politicians, etc. who attended. Personally, it was just nice to see other Shepherd families dolled up and having a good time. Oh, and the cupcake bar was a nice touch.

Kudos to the hardworking Shepherd families who planned the event.

It was awesome!

Dinner was actually tasty - shocking for those institutionalized dinners, even at the Mayflower.

Mayor Bowser came by, said a few words at the beginning (blasting the council for cutting Shepherd in the budget). Leland Melvin (astronaut)'s speech was inspiring. The live auction was really the highlight - they have a great auctioneer who was able to get a ton of extra $ through being entertaining with the right amount of pressure. The silent auction items were actually good - and some great values for useful stuff (birthday parties at local places, mosquito squad, yoga classes). We weren't much for dancing, but people were having a good time with that. Just nice to see the whole community out and dressed to the nines to support a common cause everyone feels strongly about.

Husband and I had other commitments and could not attend. Could anyone tell me how was the event?