They were hopping and bobbing and dancing the night away.

The student body of Notre Dame High School started at 5:30 p.m. Friday and planned to keep moving until 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the newly renovated gymnasium at their high school in Bethlehem Township.

Included in the event was a road trip to watch the girls basketball team take on Southern Lehigh in the Colonial League finals. The large, colorful group stayed its feet for the entire game.

Notre Dame High School dance for a cause during the 2017 MiniTHON

This is the ninth year Notre Dame is taking part in the largest student philanthropy in the world, the Penn State IFC/PHC Dance Marathon (THON).

All proceeds benefit the Four Diamonds Fund, conquering childhood cancer, at the Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa.

Notre Dame Student Council hosted its first MiniTHON in November 2008. The 81 dancers then aised more than $16,000 for the Four Diamonds Fund, school officials said.

This year about 350 students are participating, with a total of more than 2,000 dancers raising close to $400,000 just at Notre Dame in the past eight years. Notre Dame is also one of only two high schools out of more than 250 to hold its miniTHON for a full 24 hours, organizers said.

The event will culminate in the last hour when dancers change from their colored team shirts into black shirts, uniting the group to spend the last hour celebrating their achievement. Finally, the last ten seconds are counted down, and the dancers are allowed to sit for the first time in a day.

As a finale, students will reveal the fundraising total, just as the dancers at Penn State will at the conclusion of their THON this weekend.

Other Lehigh Valley schools holding MiniTHONs, and their dates, according to the Four Diamonds website include:

Bethlehem Catholic High School, March 3

Whitehall High School, March 3

Pen Argyl High School, March 4

Parkland High School, March 4                                              

Nazareth Area High School, March 24

Bethlehem Area School District, March 25

Easton Area High School, March 25

Southern Lehigh High School, March 25

Northampton Area High School, April 29

Saucon Valley High School, May 20

Sue Beyer may be reached at sbeyer@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sbeyer_photo. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.

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