On Friday night, December 7th, Jesuit hosted its 6th annual Notre Dame of Dallas Christmas Dance.
More than 70 Jesuit students had the privilege to attend and experience the profound joy of the students of Notre Dame. The dance, overseen by Community Service Organizer Richard Perry for these past six years, has become a holiday tradition, reminding Jesuit of the importance of “hospitality” and the “virtue of giving.”
At the onset of the event, the students of Notre Dame walked into the school, some excited and ecstatic, others shy and timid; however, as the night continued, eventually everyone became involved in some way. The beauty of seeing everyone, students of Notre Dame and Jesuit alike, eventually share in a mutual feeling of great excitement made the act of giving seem more like one of receiving.
After the students got to the dance floor, “D.J. Dottie,” a former student of the Notre Dame School of Dallas, played music, like she has for all of the Notre Dame dances. Some students immediately showed off their dancing skills, while others stayed to the sides, partaking in refreshments and talking with friends.
Then, after nearly two hours of dancing, Mr. Pitts and some Jesuit students set up the limbo contest, which has been the most popular feature of the dance in recent years. Students wiggled and squirmed underneath the bar, just feet from the ground.
Additionally, the sense of community was contagious with all the effort put forth to continue this grand tradition of hosting the Notre Dame dance.
The Jesuit’s Women’s Auxiliary provided the flowers for the students; Coach Leal helped at the event by gathering volunteers; Mr. Knize, Mr. Mattachione, and Mr. Perry helped coordinate and support the event; Interact, Mrs. Williams and Ms. Watson helped decorate the halls and whole cafeteria; and the seniors who aid Notre Dame every Wednesday, in addition to the Leadership Corps and many other Jesuit Students, stayed throughout the night to help out.
Mr. Perry summarized the night’s meaning, eloquently saying, “Our students learn what it means to practice the virtue of hospitality, what it means to be kind, to create friendship, and that we are all more alike than different.” The night was an act of hospitality that truly allowed Jesuit students to create friendships and give a little bit of themselves for the holidays.
All of these efforts made this year’s Notre Dame dance its most successful ever, with over “130 Notre Dame students attending,” according to Mr. Perry. Essentially, this year’s dance was made special by the effort of a very supportive faculty and a large amount of the student body. The holiday dance will continue to be a tradition to look forward to for Notre Dame and Jesuit students alike in the years to come.
