Senior Allie Glidewell seperates Morale members into two groups for choreography. Dance Marathon hosted its first meeting on Sept. 17. “I have been involved in Dance Marathon for around 2 years now, I began as a freshman and was only a participant that year. This year I decided that I wanted to be a bigger part of it because of how much I enjoyed it last year, so I applied for morale recently and got chosen,” Melia Saffold (10) said.

At the first Dance Marathon Morale Team meeting Sept. 17, Morale leaders Bodie Buxner and Allie Glidewell welcomed new and returning members at the Donna Jahnke Entrance of Ladue High School. After brief introductions, Buxner and Glidewell emphasized the commitment requirements that come with being a member of Morale, as well as establishing the expectations for the rest of year. Each member of Morale is required to raise $325 over the school year, along with collecting sponsors. All the work and money raised for Dance Marathon is compiled into one big event that will be hosted Feb. 11, 2026. 

Morale leaders made sure all members were registered on the Dance Marathon website and had the Donor Drive App downloaded, which is the app the club uses to raise money for Children’s Hospital. 

This year, the number of Morale members is bigger than ever before. In previous years, the Morale Team was composed of around 30 people. This year, Morale’s membership has doubled to 60 members. Glidewell separated members into two teams, Blue and White. Meetings for each team will switch-off every other week. Each team is responsible for crafting dances for two themes, four themes total, which will all be included in the big event in February. Weekly videos of members working on and practicing the dances is required to promote accountability across the team. The meeting closed with Morale and Executive leaders highlighting their hopes and goals for Dance Marathon, and Glidewell and Buxner thanking all for coming.