Dancing with the Monarch Stars

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By Evelyn McDonald Manning High School is in full swing preparing for the upcoming Dancing with the Monarch Stars event, to be held on March 16. The show will allow students to show off their dancing abilities as well as raise money for MHS seniors. Dancing with the Monarch Stars is a fundraiser to raise money to put into scholarships, which is put together by the efforts of the Manning Athletic Club (MAC). Along with donations to various athletic divisions within the school, MAC gives two scholarships to senior athletes each year. The club hopes this year’s event will allow the usual two scholarships to be raised to four. “I am the liaison here at MHS, as I have daily contact with the students and teachers,” said Coach Lorraine Johnson, who will be helping with the event and assisting MAC with reaching their goals for the year. Team registrations closed in January, and entrants are using their talents to create unique and enjoyable routines. Each dancing team must be comprised of at least one student athlete or coach with the MHS athletic department and at least one person who has received formal dance training, such as taking dance classes from a dance studio. The teams are responsible for their own costumes, choreography and practice schedules. In this first year of the event, ten teams have signed up to compete. Although the event was open to middle school athletes as well as high school, this year, the teams are all in ninth through 12th grades. The teams are responsible for selling the tickets, which are $15, and the team which sells the most tickets will become win the People's Choice trophy. Tickets will be available at Weldon Auditorium the night of the event, and purchasers can choose which team will get the credit for their ticket. Those who attend will also be given a sheet with the teams on it, and people can choose to donate extra money to their favorite team during and immediately after the event before the tallies are completed and the People's Choice winner is announced. Talent winners will also be chosen. The first place winning team will be allowed to pick any Manning school sport, and the MAC will donate 10 percent of the ticket money and donated money to that sport. First, second and third place winners, as well as the People's Choice winner, will receive trophies. Everyone is encouraged to come out and support the dancers, as well as Manning Middle and Manning High School Athletics.