EVERETT — Bello Dondja, a senior at Trinity Lutheran College, stood in the commons area while students (and a few staff) danced to a hip-hop beat.
“This place was dead a week ago, with people figuring out where to go and who to tell,” he said.
This was after the school’s administration announced that the college was no longer financially feasible and would cease all instruction when the semester ends May 7.
Seniors would get to graduate, but 111 underclassmen would have to transfer to other schools.
The change in mood was the work of Dondja and several other students who decided they wanted to save the school.
On Wednesday, they launched their own “Save Our School” effort, hoping to raise $1.5 million to keep the doors open. The group now has a Facebook page at http://on.fb.me/1Vus5dB.
“This place has given a lot to me,” Dondja said. “The one thing we could do is give a little bit back.”
On Wednesday, the organizers went through the building in downtown Everett to get students to come down to the commons for lunch. Then senior Anthony Williams took up the microphone.
“I’d like you to come and join the Cha-Cha Slide dance!” Williams said. “If you’d like to.” Then he started the music, and a couple dozen students joined in, clapping their hands, stepping to the left, then to the right, in general getting funky.
After a few minutes, sophomore Alisa Kessler and senior Alisha Nelson made their sales pitch.
“Our mission is to sustain the school to keep our doors open.”
Jim Lindus, the school’s executive director, took the microphone next, both to encourage the students and to emphasize that the decision about the school’s future is in the hands of the board of trustees.
“What we are committed to doing is what’s in our control, and that is to make this a truly great celebration,” Lindus said.
Then it was time for more dancing.
Lindus said that the fundraiser was entirely the students’ idea and came as a surprise.
“I admire them for this,” he said.
He said he didn’t see the board changing its mind, but any money raised could still be used to support the students, with scholarships, transfer fees to other schools and the like.
“There are a lot of bills to pay,” Lindus said. “Any money they raise will help this school.”
The odds against keeping Trinity open don’t discourage the students.
“That’s why we are careful to say we want to invest in our students,” said Ifiok Ekpo, a senior who is the director of finance for the student activities committee.
“If we close, we want the students to go with ‘I love Trinity,’” he added. “We just want to be a source of hope and happiness right now in these last months of school.”
Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @Chris_At_Herald.
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