Ecstatic former students from the Notre Dame School of Dallas came to Jesuit on Friday December 12, for a special holiday tradition, the 7th annual Notre Dame School Christmas Dance.
This year marked the biggest turnout for the dance as 20 percent more students from Notre Dame came than last year, completely filling the cafeteria while dancing to the music played by the famous “D.J. Dottie.”
According to Mr. Rich Perry, D.J. Dottie plays “the most extensive D.J. collection” and is the “most exciting part of the evening for the guests from Notre Dame.” Like those at the dance, D.J. Dottie used to attend the Notre Dame School of Dallas and has started her own DJ company, playing at “all Notre Dame events” while being a wheelchair. The Notre Dame School educates students with intellectual, developmental and physical challenges.
The dance had a “Frozen Candy Cane theme” as candy canes filled the halls of Jesuit along with characters from the popular movie Frozen. In addition, the evening contained exciting events such as the limbo contest and the piñata breaking as party-goers took turns hitting the piñata, bursting it open and causing hundreds of candy canes to fly into the air.
This year’s dance was run and organized by the two adult leaders, Coach Rick Leal and Mr. Pete O’Brien. They worked hard with the Interact Club, Ignatian Service Corps, and Brothers for Others to plan the event and make it a fun night for everyone. Additionally, the Jesuit Women’s Auxiliary (“JWA”), co-sponsored the dance and gave Christmas carnations to every girl when they first arrived at the dance.
Twenty Jesuit seniors, who regularly do their Wednesday service at Notre Dame, were “the student leaders” and helped run the
event with Coach Leal and Mr. O’Brien. Along with the Jesuit seniors, 10 girls from the Ursuline Club, Best Buddies, volunteered at the dance, a club that “encourages friendship with students from Notre Dame with those at Jesuit and Ursuline.” Many other Jesuit students also volunteered to spend their Friday night helping out at the dance. One such student was Felix Kimbrel’17, who “enjoyed working at the event because it made the Notre Dame students feel like a part of the community.” This point was echoed by Mr. Perry, who explained that the purpose of the dance was to bring people together for a “very special Christmas occasion,” an occasion in which “differences do not matter and where every single person at the dance knows they are welcome.” The dance truly “lives out the virtue of hospitality and showcases what Jesuit is about.”
