On Friday, February 24, SV students got a sweet taste of summer through the form of a Hawaiian-themed Sadies Hawkins dance.

Sadies Hawkins dances have always been a fantastic way to raise money for great causes. In the previous years that SV has hosted a Sadies dance, all proceeds have benefitted charities such as The Pittsburgh Women’s shelter, The Salvation Army, and more.

This year, in 2017, all proceeds are benefitting an organization known as the Victim Outreach Intervention Center (VOICE). VOICE provides aid to those who have experienced any form of domestic violence, and high school students from several schools can get involved.

The Sadies Hawkins dance originated from a comic strip named ‘Lil, Abner’ written by Al Capp. In the comic strip, Sadies Hawkins fell on a given day in November, and the unmarried women of Dogpatch got to chase the bachelors and “marry up” with the ones she caught.

In 1938, one year after the comic strip was released, the Sadies dance was popularized by establishing informal dance events in which a woman invited a man of her own choice, rather than waiting for a man to ask her. This became a major women-empowering movement and has been a tradition in high schools and other events ever since.

The Student Council at SV voted on a Hawaiian theme for the dance, and the stage was set for an exciting Friday night for students. Tickets were 10 dollars, and the dance occurred from 7-10 pm. Decorations and leis were were provided in abundance to add to the overall summer-feeling of the dance as well.

Sarah Messick, a junior at Seneca Valley, chimed in her thoughts about this year’s Hawaiian-themed Sadies dance, “The DJ at the beginning was a bit weak and there weren’t many songs that were dance worthy. Nearing the end of the night however, the songs amped up and we were all having fun and dancing the night away. The décor was well done and you can tell the Student Council really took the time to make it look perfect and fit the theme. The snacks were yummy and the cream puffs never fail to disappoint.”

Another junior who attended the dance, Kiara Carrasquilla, expressed her thoughts on the dance, “At first, the Hawaiian-themed Sadies dance seemed like an odd idea, but it turned out to be really nice. I thought it was nice to be more casual at the dance since the gym is way too hot. Plus, it was exciting to pretend we don’t have cold weather for a few hours. ”

Sadies Hawkins dances continue to be a positive fundraiser not only for SV, but for several high schools around the nation.  The specific amount of funds raised for VOICE has not been revealed yet, but is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.