Aviation-themed fundraisers held this weekend raised around $17,000 for the Vineyard Montessori School.

The events were organized by head of school Deborah Jernegan, parent teacher organization president Kim D’Arcy and vice president Alyssa Dubin.

A Celebration of Aviation took off at the Katama Airfield under cloudless skies at 11 a.m. Saturday. Computer flight simulators, model airplanes by the Model Airplane Club, show-and-touch airplanes and a bubble station were the most popular attractions, Ms. Jernegan said.

Montessori elementary students created Jackson Pollock inspired artwork that served as backdrop for fundraiser. — Sydney Bender

“It was very busy throughout the whole day,” she said of the three-hour event. Ms. Jernegan estimated around 100 people of all ages attended, bringing in about $2,000 for the school.

Saturday evening, parents headed to the Field Club in Katama for an adults-only event called Fly Me to the Moon. Attendees paid $30 to enter and had the opportunity to bid on silent auction items such as breakfast for two at the Dock Street coffee shop or a voice lesson from Joanne Cassidy of the Sultans of Swing. Guests munched on a mountain of tortilla chips, bruschetta and crab cakes and sipped on aviation-themed cocktails.

Partygoers also took to the dance floor while DJ Darren Belisle, a computer technician at the Edgartown school, pumped out tunes like Good Times by Chic and It takes 2 by DB The General.

After the dance party, Mr. Belisle became the auctioneer, offering up items like a round of golf for four at the Edgartown Golf Club and a Sunday river getaway for two adults and two children. Artwork made by Vineyard Montessori students, valued as priceless, was also auctioned off to the highest bidders.

Ms. Jernegan estimated 150 people attended the evening fundraiser, generating an additional $15,000 for the school from ticket sales and auction items.

“The money the PTO raises goes to a mark of excellence that operating expenses don’t cover,” Ms. Jernegan told the Gazette. “Playground equipment, renovations, enrichment, field trips . . . extra things we can’t afford,” she said.

The money raised isn’t the only indication that the day was a success. Back inside classrooms Monday morning, Ms. Jernegan said students couldn’t stop talking about airplanes. “It was a huge hit,” she said.