Although it was a rainy night Wednesday, Nov. 17, the stars still shone. Kirkwood’s first Dancing with the Staff fundraiser brought custodians, coaches and teachers out of their classrooms and onto center stage in the varsity gym. This event raised $3,000 out of the $16,000 required for the varsity pommie squad to travel to Orlando to compete in nationals in February and brought packed bleachers, smiling faces and the opportunity for students to watch their educators bust a move.

“I figured, I’ve made a fool out of myself before,” David Shapleigh, math teacher, said. “I might as well make a fool out of myself again.”

Shapleigh placed second with Chad Walton, resource officer, and Jordan Woodruff, junior, with their dance to the “COPS” theme song, ”Bad Boys.” He has had some experience with choreography thanks to his former-cheerleader daughter, who would teach him her routines “as a joke.”

“I have no rhythm, so I practiced a lot,” Shapleigh said. “But when I showed [the routine] to my wife and asked for advice, she just laughed.”

While dancing came easily to some competitors, like Lieschen Fink, dance educator, and Sue Ellen Minich, Spanish teacher and former pommie coach (who insisted on turns and jumps in her performance with Adrian Morse, sophomore), victors Luci Schneider, senior, and Andy Nelson, custodian, did not completely attribute their success to their choreography.

“Our dance was not the best, but we had the best props,” Schneider said. “I was so surprised [that we won].”

Nelson agreed with Schneider, further accrediting their first place prize to the $400 in tickets the team sold before the competition, earning a $100 gift card to P.F. Chang’s.

Along with dancing, this competition included a raffle sponsored by Mike Duffy’s that gave away Kirkwood apparel to four people.

Also included was a halftime performance by the KHS drumline, featuring the vocals of Charlie Jaschek, junior and section leader, on “Teach Me How to Dougie” and a circus act by this year’s talent show winner, Will Haenni, junior.

Dancing With the Staff from Sam Edwards on Vimeo.