It’s that time of year again! Hordes of eager 7th and 8th graders crowd into the gym to dance the night away. Another STA feeder school dance is upon us!
You might be wondering- what is a feeder school dance? Basically, 4 times a year, the STA Peace and Justice Club hosts a dance for the grade 7s and 8s from all of the elementary feeder schools. The feeder schools are all Catholic elementary schools that fall within STAs boundaries. These are: St.Vincent, St. Luke, St. Dominic, St. James, and St. Joseph. These dances fall among other promotional activities that the grade 7s and 8s get to experience before actually attending STA- such as a tour of the school, a sports activity day, and viewing the annual school play. The goal of the feeder school dances is to get potential Raiders more comfortable in STA, but in a more casual and relaxed manner than the other activities. If the students don’t feel like they are being forced to attend an event, they are much more likely to have fun and develop a positive opinion towards STA.
Another purpose of the feeder school dances is to encourage interaction between students from different schools. In elementary school it is typical to feel isolated from students from other schools, but everyone mixes together once in high school. These dances help with that tough transition to high school by allowing students from different schools to meet and possibly form friendships before even entering high school. Even if the students don’t end up attending STA, it is a fun experience that is worthwhile attending.
Since these dances are an initiative run by the Peace and Justice Club, all proceeds from ticket sales are donated to a charity chosen by each quad. Quad 1’s dance in October was in support of Danielle’s Place, a Burlington based charity that provides support for those with eating disorders. Being a non-profit organization relying on donations, it has shut down in the past. These feeder school dances have raised funds for many different charities over the years.
On the other side of any feeder school dance is the people who run it- the PJs! Each quad of the club hosts one dance a year, which usually adheres to a theme based on the time of year. Running a dance requires lots of planning and coordination, something that the PJs have mostly mastered! It involves choosing a theme, making posters and tickets, delivering them to each feeder school, buying snacks, and on the night of the dance; running the check-in and coat check, decorating and cleaning up. This is no small task, and it takes a crew of committed PJs and teachers to ensure everything goes smoothly. Believe me- they are definitely earning their volunteer hours!
Quad 2’s winter feeder school dance was on Thursday, December 10th. Tickets must be purchased in advance through the student’s grade 7 or 8 teacher, so be sure to remind your younger sibling to come to the next dance, on February 25th!