The Roaring 2020s
Spring Gala • March 18, 2023
by Ashley Brown, Mom to 2nd-grader (and Gala Chair)
 In the spring of 2023, over 250 guests gathered to celebrate Los Encinos School at the Skirball Cultural Center. The energy and excitement were palpable as guests donned their flappers, bow ties, and boas and enjoyed a festive ode to the 1920’s Jazz Age with a modern twist. We called it, The Roaring 2020s.
The fundraising aspect of the event hit the ground running several weeks in advance with the ever-popular Teacher Experiences Raffles. Special thanks to the Raffle Committee Chairs, Zsofia (Maya ’27) and Melissa (Margot ’27 & Teddy ’27), for organizing, and to the committee of parents who sold tickets. In just a few short weeks the raffle brought in over $15,800, setting us off with a powerful start to our fundraising efforts.
Our Auction Chairs, Anna (Hudson ’27) and Missy (Everett ’27 & Frankie ’29), oversaw a silent auction that exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations. Thanks to the entire auction team and everyone who solicited generous donations (from gift cards to priceless experiences), we were able to raise $61,000 from auctioned items alone.
As guests enjoyed a fabulous dinner, they were treated to a fun video that set the tone for the throwback evening. More cute faux-documentary videos introduced the live auction items that were pitched by Bill Birch, who also led the Raise the Paddle portion of the fundraising program. By the time dinner was over, our incredible community had raised another $129,000 in support of LES!
The after-party included the ever-popular MirMir photo booths — thank-you to Ryan (Iris ’24) for the donation — and a special bourbon-tasting supplied by one of the event’s sponsors, Woodford Reserve.
(above) Video highlights from the evening set to the Beyoncé song, Crazy in Love.
For entertainment, we were fortunate to have Max (father to Sabrina ’26) assemble an eight-piece live band with amazing musicians from the Los Angeles area. Parents Jenna (Evie ’25), Becca (Stevie ’26), and Joelle (Riley ’27), led a choreographed dance to the tune that kicked off the after-party — a modern twist to Crazy In Love by Beyoncé (see video above).
Throughout the night, the generosity of our community took center stage as donations came in not only from current parents, faculty, and friends, but also from grandparents, alumni, alumni parents and even some incoming parents whose children weren’t even starting school until the fall!
When the final notes from the band rang out, we had raised over $289,000 — an amazing feat for such a small school. As a new parent, and chair for this event, I was so impressed with how the community rallied and came together to make the evening a roaring success!
Click to expand and use the arrows to scroll through the photo album above.
Watch the video we screened at the gala above.
Watch the videos that introduced each live auction item above.
Watch the videos we used to promote the gala above.