C-M to host charity dance marathon
Clay Martin and a friend, both students at Canon-McMillan High School, will head to school today in costumes resembling cookies and milk. They won’t feel out of place, though, because other students will be dressed up like Christmas trees and wreaths, and a few ugly holiday sweaters are expected to make an appearance.
Students are getting into the holiday spirit for a six-hour dance marathon – an old Canon-McMillan tradition that is making a comeback after a five-year hiatus. The dance will be held in the gymnasium today during school hours, and all proceeds from the event will be donated to the Santa Fund, which benefits Canon-McMillan families.
“I think we’re going to win the dress-up competition,” said Martin, a senior and co-vice president of Student Council, which sponsored the event.
In addition to a costume competition, the dance will feature limbo and hula hoop contests with prizes. High school senior Josh Kruczek will be the disc jockey.
Students signed up with a partner at a minimum donation of $10 to participate. Lori Freeze, high school teacher and student council adviser, said they haven’t counted the money yet, but they are expecting to donate a few thousand dollars to the Santa Fund. This week leading up to the dance, students decorated classroom doors and donated their spare change to a Change Day fundraiser. In its best year, $8,000 was raised for the Santa Fund.
Freeze said the Change Day fundraiser has taken precedence in recent years, but Student Council decided to bring back the dance marathon this year. She described Friday’s event as a “modified dance marathon” with some breaks in between, including a lunch recess. Judges will decide which pairs will be eliminated from the competition throughout the day until one duo is left dancing.
Heaven Sensky, a senior and president of Student Council, said everyone comes together to donate to the Santa Fund.
“The students know it really aids the students that we go to school with,” she said, adding they bought Christmas gifts for the charity last week. “It’s just massive, and there’s tons of gifts. Everybody gets together and wraps them.”