Stepping up and starting an organization can take some effort, especially if you’re a student in high school, but senior Samantha Evans didn’t let that stop her.

Evans wanted to add something new to the school; she wanted to start a dance team that could be joined by anyone who loved to dance. Algebra I teacher Lauren Black helped make sure Evans could make that happen.

“It all started out of student interest,” Black said. “There were many kids who wanted to be in some kind of a dance group, but were unable to be in Shy-Annes or cheer. They wanted to also do a different type of dancing.”

Unlike other dance teams, the step team is 100% student-driven.

“Everybody just put in their own thoughts,” Evans said. “Mrs. Black would help us fix the routines, but everybody put their own suggestions in. The teammates are the choreographers.”

Students say that practice is key to get everything choreographed and rehearsed properly.

“We did really well as a team. We didn’t do as well when we performed as we did in practice, but we worked hard and put a lot of time into our routines,” Evans said. ”In the fall we practiced on Mondays and Wednesdays after school until six.”

Black says that she hopes the step team will continue and that it will improve and grow over the years.

“The step team is definitely going to be something that we do throughout school,” Black said. “Hopefully it will last for a really long time.”

The students have already began preparing for next year’s pep-rallys and any students are welcome to join.