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Schools

Dancing With the Spartans

Eight D229 teachers compete for coveted mirror-ball trophy and raise money for muscular dystrophy.

Where else but on  Dancing with the Stars can you see the fiery passion of the tango and the twists and turns of swing come to life on the dance floor? Oak Lawn Community High School, that's where.

Eight Oak Lawn high teachers will compete for a replica mirror-ball trophy likened to the one on the acclaimed ABC reality show, now in it's 12th season.

The trophy was designed by the high school maintenance department and will be awarded to the winner of the high school's second annual “Dancing with the Spartans" happening Friday, March 11.

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After three months of dance lessons, two to three hours per week, teachers William Gerny, Brian Fiene, Natalia Venturini, Sara Eassa, Meridith McGuire, Matthew Smith, Joyce Rafferty and Tim Bodeur will dance in two rounds for judges, and an audience of students and District 229 staff. 

The competition is also open to the public, and admission is $10; $7 with a student ID.

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Teachers were instructed by four professional dancers – who they'll be paired with throughout the night – from Heart and Sole Dance company in Tinley Park.

Two dance couples at a time will take the floor and tango their way through round one; while couples will swing dance solo during round two.

And though they may not have the fast feet of season six winner Kristi Yamaguchi or the TV charm of season five winner Helio Castroneves, these are eight high school teachers that are ready to dance.

 “It's really going to be about who brings it,” said Eileen Jones, coordinator for the event. “Last year the winner was a counselor.”

“The students didn't know who she was,” Jones continued, “but they loved her because she put on a big show.”

Oak Lawn high art teacher Timothy Brodeur is pumped up for the competition, kidding that he'll be the favorite tomorrow night, after he tangos to “I like it” by Enrique Inglesias and swings to the classic, “What Lola Wants.”

 “I think each teacher is a threat in their own way,” Brodeur added. “Since all of this started this year [the teachers] have been going full force.”

 As on the show, popular momentum is no stranger to this annual dance competition. Last year, “Dancing with the Spartans” was “one incredible night,” a huge success, Jones said.

The event, with an audience of 1,200, raised roughly $17,000 for muscular dystrophy.

This year's competition will have the same format, including a video montage of each teacher struggling to become dancers in a spotlight aimed by students, family and peers.

“Last year I went and saw the show,” Brodeur said. “I was impressed with it and it seemed like a great way to show our students how to give back to their community.”

Teachers, dressed in tuxedos and gowns, will be filmed and displayed for the audience on a jumbo screen in the gymnasium.

Judges Mike Gutrich, Jianfranco Calafiroe and Kathy Dawe will grade each couple's performance; then send them backstage where they'll eagerly await their scores.

News Anchor Allison Paine from WGN was rumored to be a guest judge tomorrow night, but the district hasn't been able to reach Paine with her final answer, Jone said.

“The competition last year was hilariously on the mark,” Jone said. “No detail will be spared this time. We'll even have student dancers.”

During intermission, Oak Lawn high students will have the chance to show off their dance skills.

A hip-hop medley, an Irish tap dancer and a student pianist, who plays and dances simultaneously,  will keep the audience on their toes, while the teachers get changed for the second round.

“Students love to see their teachers dancing,” said Jone. “They love to see them let their guard down and act funny.”

“I've learned to have patience with myself, and to further step out of my comfort zone,” Brodeur said.  “[Dancing] proved to me that I must continue to have patience for my students, as my dance teacher has for me.”

English teacher William Gerny, a baseball coach at the high school, never laced up a pair of dancing shoes in his life, let alone hit the dance floor at a special occasion.

But with the mentoring of Heart and Sole dance instructor Maren Olsac, Gerny has learned to enjoy dancing, and he's even taken the time to smile.

“In sports you have to be serious,” Gerny said, “but in dancing you don't have to prove yourself as much. I've learned to express my emotions, even if artificially.”

“It's been a different experience,” he added. “I'm impressed with how much I've been able to learn. I'm proud of myself.”

Voting for the night's winner is split 50-50 between judges and the audience.

Votes are $1 each; the audience may vote as many times as they like. 

Proceeds from the competition will be donated to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD),a non-profit organization founded in 1994 for parents of children with muscular dystrophy.

District 229 chose the charity, specifically for the event, with one person in mind: math teacher Shannon Dematteo.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common fatal disorder diagnosed in children, was diagnosed in Dematteo's son.

"Dancing With the Spartans" kicks off at 7 p.m. Friday, March 11, at Oak Lawn Community High School, at 9400 Southwest Highway.

Correction: There were a few errors in this story and Patch apologizes for that. Eileen Jones, who is coordinating "Dancing With the Spartans," name was misspelled. We have corrected that. Also, there is a $10 admission to the dance competition, $7 with a student ID, not free, as Patch originally reported. Still it's a good cause and the school is raising money for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. Oak Lawn math teacher Shannon Dematteo's son has been diagnosed with the disease.

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