Athletic department hosts a zumbathon to raise money

Over the course of the year, Samo has held Zumbathon events in order to give students the opportunity to make up period absences and fundraise, while getting in shape and dancing to the beat of lively Latin music. On Saturday May 6, the last Zumbathon of the year was held, starting at 8 a.m. and concluding at 2 p.m. Filled with dances, student volunteers, two Zumba instructors and some administrative staff, the basketball fields came to life.Flyers were passed out to all sports teams here at Samo asking them to get sponsors to donate money for a certain amount of hours they wanted to dance. The money they raised would go to their team and help with buying new equipment or other necessities for their sport. Patricia Santos (’19) is a member of the cheer team at Samo and participated in the Zumbathon. According to Santos, the Zumbathon was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.“I get to work out which helps me stay in shape for the team next year, and I get to raise money which also helps out the team. So, it was cool being able to do both things at the same time,” Santos said.Other than being able to fundraise for their team, students volunteers use community service opportunities like the Zumbathon as a way to get their absences removed. The new 120-period absence rule has caused many students to participate in opportunities to get some absences back.According to volunteer Julia Tung (’17), it was a cold day and because there wasn’t a lot of participants, the volunteers got the chance to Zumba. And although the event was not very well advertised, it was a fun experience. “It was a great experience. I think I burnt more calories ever in my life,” volunteer Hieu Nguyen (’17) said. “We had a new instructor every hour and a half. They were really good. They were very energetic.” While some went to participate and others went to volunteer, there were a handful of other students who saw the Zumbathon as both. Cyara Pinkos (’17) participated to be with her family while getting periods off and staying fit. “I came to get my absences off, but my mom said she would come with me to work out so we both ended up working out together and I got some absences off,” Pinkos said.Opportunities like this not only bring the outside community together, but also merge them with the Samo community. Students took advantage of this opportunity to get absences taken off, while having fun and enjoying their time there. Not only did the Zumbathon impact the Santa Monica community, it was also able to bring in money to some of the sports programs.