By Izzy Shoemaker ‘26

The charity Dance Marathon is a beloved tradition at SEM. This year marked the 13th year of “SemDM”. SemDM is the largest student-run organization at SEM, and certainly a fan-favorite event. Throughout the year, executives and committee members run several fundraisers and events, all culminating with a dance marathon in April. This year the team put on a sweatshirt sale, a Powderpuff football game, and a car wash to help raise money and awareness for the Children’s Hospital. 

Families Committee Executives, Mirabaai Reitsma ‘26 and Ellie Scullion ‘25 were thrilled to be working with Sem’s biggest group of Miracles Children attendees in event history. Reitsma said, “This year we all knew we really wanted to focus on the families at the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital. We actually invited ten kids to the event, which is double the attendance of last year. We couldn’t be more happy that we did. Seeing the kids at the event is always the best part.” The Sem student body also showed up big time to the event, from 12-7pm the gym was jam-packed with students, day and boarding, of all grades. 

The event included lip-sync battles between SEM students, JustDance breaks, and performances from the incredible Miracle Children. Each child also had a segment of the day dedicated to them and their journey in the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital and through the Miracle Network. The events committee was sure to leave enough time in the schedule for the highly anticipated faculty pies and tape a teacher. This year six faculty members volunteered to be pied by their students: Mr. Cruz, Ms. Dohn, Ms. Rossi, Mrs. Stretanski, Ms. Barton, and Rev. Carrick. Mr. Kersey also got in on the action, getting taped to the wall of the Blue Gym. 

Fundraising Committee Executive, Maya Gross ‘26, said, “This event is so special, because everyone at the school is so supportive and involved. And it’s really cool to be able to have so much fun while supporting such an amazing cause, and it’s just incredible to see everyone rally around it.”

This year, the cause is more important than ever, as Janet Weis lost funding that they usually can count on. Through the Miracle Network, funds raised directly contribute to renovations, new technology, and life-saving equipment in the hospital. In total, SemDM raised an outstanding $32,801 for the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital.