Last Friday night, the commons area at WHS was bursting with music. A group of students came together and organized a school-wide dance that also served as an ongoing fundraising event to support those in need in Darfur. It was a rare opportunity in which all grades were invited to the same dance; in the past, dances have been organized only for each class, with other grades not invited.

Around 200 students showed up. Surprisingly, many members of the freshman class showed up, along with a number of senior boys. According to the dance organizers, those boys helped the dance get started. Unfortunately, no senior girls showed up.



Some students from other high schools, such as Belmont Hill School, also attended the dance.

Bassma Sayeh, a junior who has led the dance and other fundraising efforts for Darfur, was content with the results:

“I am really satisfied with the turnout as it was a great way to spread awareness and raise money for Darfur. I am glad people had a good time at the dance.”

The dance organizers collected around 2000 dollars to add to their fundraising efforts.

This project for helping Darfur is not part of a club. A small group of close friends had worked together to organize bake sales, and they decorated the commons area for the dance. Brooke Baker (class of 2009), who is part of that group, described the results of the dance:

“The dance for Darfur was an amazing success. We hope to raise even more money through upcoming events this spring. The dance was so much fun, I hope we will be able to do it again!”

Colleen Belinsky, who also helped Sayeh organize events to help Darfur, expressed how meaningful these efforts are:

“It only took one person to come up with the idea, but with such a supportive group of friends and a generous community, we were able to accomplish a lot. I hope this will encourage others to do the same because one person’s kindness can spread and [the dance] was a perfect example of that.”

Lexi Cohen, who is part of this group, emphasized the fun factor in the project:

“I just think that kids are always looking to have a fun time—so why not have a fun time while supporting a good cause?”

According Sayeh, the fundraising for Darfur will continue, and there will be a car wash event sometime in the early May.

Students participating in the Darfur fundraising include: Bassma Sayeh, Naomi Rosenhaus, Carolyn Tang, Lexi Cohen, Bridget Hodgdon, Elizabeth Alexander, Kelly MacDonald, Brooke Baker, Jenna McMillan, Colleen Belinsky, Maya Perry, Tracie Shames, Matti Starr, and Nealy Stiles.