Happy feet and helping hands

SOLON — The lights in the gym at the Solon Middle School (SMS) were dimmed with flashes of colored lights as SMS and Solon Intermediate School (SIS) students danced, hula-hooped, did the limbo, and even sang along to Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” as “DJ Curtis (SMS 6th grade science teacher Curtis Hendrickson)” cranked out an afternoon of dance tunes last Friday.

For 30 years the University of Iowa has held an annual Dance Marathon to provide financial and emotional support to families and patients at the University of Iowa’s Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Student leaders at SMS decided to do the same thing, albeit on a much smaller and more local basis. SMS Peer Leader Evelyn explained the concept.

“You have to dance and you can’t sit down for your whole class period because if you’re doing a real one, you have to dance for 24 hours, but we’re doing a smaller one for only one class period.”

So why hold an afternoon dance marathon at the Middle School?

“Because we wanted to raise money for people who are struggling with cancer and we wanted to help people,” she said.

The SMS Dance Marathon was held in support of two families from Solon, explained SIS & SMS Counselor Heather Pentico.

“One of the families (a former Lakeview Elementary teacher), her son (currently an eighth grader at Clear Creek Amana) is battling a rare form of blood cancer. Some teachers here (at SMS) have worked with that teacher so we wanted to show support. And we also became aware of another family of a Solon student who is also battling cancer, so as part of the Mini-Dance Marathon, we wanted to support our local students and their families.”

The UI’s Dance Marathon is held as a fundraiser, and SMS’s was as well. Pentico explained that the Peer Leaders and SMS Junior Optimist Club have been selling bracelets bearing words of support for the two students and accepting free-will donations. The Junior Optimists, led by 8th grade science teacher Amalie Millerd, also ran a concession stand during events such as 8th grade basketball, with proceeds going toward the families.

A competition was held to see which class could raise the most money with the winning class dancing the afternoon away.

“We’ve raised a little over $1,000 for each of the families we’re supporting,” said Pentico.

SIS 4th and 5th grade students joined the SMS 6th graders for the first 45-minute period followed by 7th graders, and then 8th graders for the final period.

“The theory behind Dance Marathon is that IF a child can battle cancer 24 hours a day, seven days a week, then we can dance for 45 minutes to show our support. That’s really what we’re doing, having fun while we’re doing that,” Pentico added.

Those who would choose to not dance and just stand around were to find themselves face to face with

Peer Leaders like Macklin, part of the “Dance Police.” “If you don’t dance, we’re gonna come over and yell at you,” he said.

“They come over and MOTIVATE you,” Pentico clarified.

The event was organized by the SMS Peer Leaders, a group of 8th graders. Peer Leader Natalie explained,

“A Peer Leader is someone who would help out with things around the school. They do some of the assemblies at the end of the month, or when we do events like the Candy Grams we do for Valentine’s Day.”

Potential Peer Leaders are recommended by a teacher, and as Pentico explained, “Peer Leaders are 8th graders that choose to get involved and be able to have a say, to be able to help create a positive culture in our school building, and to have events that bring us all together toward similar causes; and it’s student-led.” Pentico and Teresa Burg (SMS Instructional Coach) are the faculty advisors to the Peer Leaders.

“It’s nice for our 8th graders to step up and be leaders in the building and set the tone.”