On Friday Feb. 1, Reagan’s annual King Raiderette was crowned at the varsity men’s basketball game against Glenn. This year’s King is sophomore Josh Ikwechegh, and the Prince is junior Bryson May.

“I think Josh deserved to win,” sophomore Abby Touchstone said. “He is such a good friend to everyone, and he’s very funny.”

King Raiderette is an activity organized by the dance team, the Raiderettes, and their coaches, Molly Harwell and Erin Astuto. It is a fun way to boost school spirit and give back to the community by donating money to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Twenty guys are nominated for the title of King Raiderette, and it is left up to the student body to donate money towards who they want to win. The two with the most money donated in their names are the King and Prince Raiderette.

“Staying after and working with the Raiderettes was so much fun, and it was for a great cause, so I’m really glad I did it,” senior nominee Chase Fontain said.

Any male student who wants to be involved in the event can sign up. There are no requirements or limits on grade or dance experience.

“I feel like we have a wider range of guys participating this year, which in turn means more students get involved to donate towards their friends,” Astuto said.

The tradition of King Raiderette holds a special place in Harwell’s family. Her husband Daniel Harwell’s brother was a patient at St. Jude’s Children Hospital before he passed away at age 12. Every year the donation is placed in his name.

“We know there are many stories like his and we want to help such a great organization,” Astuto said.

The Raiderettes practice three times a week every week, and invited the guys to their practices for one week so they could learn and practice the routine.

“Practices are filled with lots of laughs and these guys getting way out of their comfort zones to learn the dance,” Astuto said.

In addition to collecting and counting every donation, the dance team choreographed and taught the nominees a dance routine to perform at halftime during Friday’s game. They also were in charge of making the crowns, scepters, and sashes for the winners.

“Those girls are amazing,” Astuto said. “I am very grateful to be one of their coaches.”

The halftime performance was made to let the guys have a fun time and make the moves their own. The audience was impressed with their dancing.

“Seeing all the guys have a lot of fun was great,” junior Jaynie Gifford said. “Seeing them out there in tutus and crop tops was very funny.”

This year’s donation was a huge success, setting a new record with a grand total of $4,209.28. This record was only possible because of the student body and families of Reagan.

“I donated because I wanted to help a good cause and it was fun to support my friends,” Gifford said. “I think it’s an amazing organization and I’m happy that I got to contribute at least a little bit.”