Dance Marathon Saturday

Washington High School?s dance marathon will see a number of ?firsts? this year. It will be the first year the organizers have served a meal and the first year they have sold tickets to it. The school?s mini-dance marathon is Saturday in the High School gymnasium. The supper and variety show start at 5:30 p.m. and are open to the public. The dance marathon itself is reserved for junior high and high school students and lasts from 7 p.m. to midnight.

The dance marathon is a fundraiser for the University of Iowa Children?s Hospital. Washington student Jake Engle said that the Washington dance marathon is based on the University of Iowa?s dance marathon, which is in its 18

^th

year.

Washington is one of many high schools to hold a dance marathon. In 2010, Washington High School raised nearly $4,600, the third most of any mini-dance marathon in the state. This year, the student body in Washington has set a fundraising goal of $6,000, which would surpass last year?s winner, Franklin Middle School in Cedar Rapids.

There is a cover charge for junior high and high school students who want to attend the dance marathon. However, the students get in free if they have raised over $50. The students are supposed to remain standing during the entire event. They said the college students have a much taller task because they have to stay standing for 24 hours during their dance marathons.

The music during the dance will be mostly modern music, said Johannah Vittetoe, one of the organizers. Erin Webber said that the last hour of the night is known as ?power hour? and consists of one dance after another without a break in between.

?By the end of the night, I?m drenched through my shirt,? Webber said.

?I get winded,? Engle said.

To raise money for the event, the students sell T-shirts, buttons, bracelets and ?stars? at local grocery stores. A person purchases a star in the check-out line and then the grocery store displays that star in its windows.

?All the stuff really adds up,? Webber said.

The organizers have also gone to numerous businesses in town to request donations. They have created a PowerPoint presentation which they have shown at service groups to raise awareness of the fundraiser. The high school students also made a promotional video to show to the junior high students to get them excited about the dance.