DanceBlue is an event held by the University of Kentucky (UK) in March to raise money for the Golden Matrix fund; this fund supports pediatric cancer. The DanceBlue event is a 24-hour marathon held to raise money. This year, UK will be holding its marathon from March 29 to March 30, 2025.
Highlands got involved with the help of math teacher Stacey Behrensmeyer who was contacted by John Kappes, a former student of hers.
Kappes is now the DanceBlue Mini Marathon coordinator. Following her agreement to help out, she gathered a team of students together and they attended an informational meeting at UK.
“Being the first high school in the NKY area, to host a different event rather than a dance that also has a strong purpose is amazing…It’s going to be put together through student-driven ideas to make it unique,” said Behrensmeyer, who is the advisor and senior leader supervisor for the event.
Our event is run by the HHS DanceBlue Leadership Team through the school’s Student Leadership Club (SLC). The members of the team are Shelby Shields (12), Lily Arnberg (12), Lainey Kuhn (12), and Natalie Hurles (12).
“I’m looking forward to getting the community to come together for the event,” Kuhn said.
The mini-marathon will be held in the gym on March 8, 2025, from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. The role of the HHS DanceBlue team is to host a mini-marathon to contribute $10,000 to the cause.
The HHS DanceBlue Leadership Team meets 1-3 times a week to discuss the planning for this event. They have also put together committees for outreach, events, finance, marketing, and logistics made up of the members of the SLC to help smooth out the process.
“Each committee has a designated job and purpose that is important for the success of the event,” Shields said.
By purchasing a ticket and attending the event at Highlands, the proceeds will go toward the $10,000 goal to contribute to the DanceBlue cause. Any student that attends will receive a swag bag full of things to fuel their night. In these swag bags will be accessories and other forms of attire to match the hourly themes during the event, as well as a t-shirt.
“We are planning what activities are happening and making sure transitions are smooth and engaging,” Hurles said.
As the HHS DanceBlue Leadership Team continues to work with the UK’s DanceBlue event team, they are on the lookout for sponsors. All sponsors will be featured on t-shirts, event signage, and social media, and are welcome to set up a booth at the event. With any inquiries or contributions, reach out to @hhs_danceblue on Instagram or any of the leadership team members mentioned above.
