Zoe Potamianos, Meghan Evans, Mara Durkin
Staff Writers
Smiles spread through the Ballroom at Drumlins Country Club like wildfire as parents watched the student athletes of Jamesville-DeWitt High School work it on the runway.
The second Annual Red Ram Runway raised around $15,000. The profits went towards the JD Booster Club fund which supports the athletic program, providing for items not covered in the budget. This includes things like team awards, end-of-season parties, the senior awards banquet, and senior scholarships.
As many as 200 people attended the fashion show to support their friends and relatives. Besides ticket sales, there were also raffles and a silent auction that also raised money. There were over 30 themed baskets in the raffle and 25 silent auction items. Each sports team was responsible to provide a basket to raffle off. From a beach basket to a family movie basket, the teams had a wide variety of items for people to win. There were also two premium baskets which were raffled off. One basket consisted of two VIP tickets to a Dave Matthews rock band concert at the Lakeview Amphitheater on June 5 and the other basket contained a private plane trip to Lake Placid for the day with lunch included.
Another fundraiser was a friendly competion between teams to get their coaches to walk the runway. Students who donated $1 could vote during lunch periods leading up to the fashion show for the coach they wanted to see dress up in JD apparel and walk the runway. Physical Education teacher Jeff Ike, who coaches varsity boys lacrosse, varsity football, and varsity boys basketball, and Social Studies teacher Stephenie Rice, who coaches varsity girls lacrosse, were chosen by the students. “It was nice to participate and see kids from all sports take part and (I) loved to see this event grow from last year,” said Ms. Rice. “I thought it was really cool that I was chosen by the kids to be in the fashion show,” said Coach Ike.
Students who particpated, like freshman Jamison Maclachlan, had fun, and were glad to help their school raise money for the booster club. “The kids had so much fun,” said JD Booster Club volunteer and JD parent Tracey Loewenguth. Senior Nico Modesti was the announcer, and had the job of introducing the models. “It was a great experience. I love contributing to the JD Booster Club and I’m so glad I could watch this event transform over the past two years,” said Modesti. Students got to wear two different outfits to show to the crowd and strut out with a partner by their side. Senior Katie Lutz, who walked, also enjoyed the show. “I had a lot of fun. My dresses were really pretty and it was fun walking in them,” said Lutz. Sophomore Alex Pomeroy and junior Lindsay Maclachlan also agreed it was a fun experience. “It was fun pairing up with classmates and friends to walk down the aisle and dressing up in outfits was a blast,” said Pomeroy.
“It was a success and we should definitely do it again next year,” said Mrs. Lowenguth. The J-DHS Booster Club is hoping to make the fashion show an annual event.