At 7:28 p.m. Jan. 17, hundreds of students at Eyer Middle School eagerly waited outside the cafeteria doors for the most thrilling event of the school year: the Rock-a-Thon.

Each year, students stay up nearly 12 hours on rocking chairs to raise money for the Justin W. Jennings Foundation.

The foundation originated in 2005, in memory of Justin W. Jennings, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor and succumbed to cancer in June 2000. His family created the foundation to honor his love to help others in the form of providing an all-expenses-paid, stress-free environment to cancer patients and their families: Justin’s Beach House in Bethany Beach, Del.

This year, nearly 300 students set a new record, raising $27,833 to help fund vacations for families who stay at the house – sometimes even families who live in the Lehigh Valley. While students are required to raise a minimum to participate, 90 students raised over $100. Owen Hafner, Nadia Christman, Allyn Caruso and Jametric Harris took their places as the top four earners this year. Taking first place, Hafner raised $1,102. In second place, Christman raised $692. Next, Caruso raised $580. Lastly, Harris raised $500.

Teachers Kelsey Torpey and Laura Bauer helped coordinate the event. Over the years, watching the grand total consistently grow, both Torpey and Bauer are extremely proud of their students.

“I think [the student’s morale] is unique,” Torpey said. “I’ll have kids say to me that this is their favorite night of the year. So, I feel like the farther we go, even though we raised a lot of money, it’s more about the fun they have. It makes me really happy to see them have a ton of fun.”

Not only does the student’s determination surprise Torpey, but also their willingness to cooperate to help the event run as smoothly as possible. “I’m so proud of the kids this year,” Torpey said. “They did amazing. I think their themes were very creative. We’ve had three meetings and every meeting they’ve been absolutely phenomenal; they get quiet quickly, they follow directions, they follow through on their end, they bring food in, they raised a ton of money, so I’m very happy.”

Just as Torpey said, students truly put their thinking caps on, coming up with quirky team themes ranging from fast food restaurant chains to Microsoft tech support to spices. Each year, before students gather in the auditorium to celebrate their fundraising achievements, parent volunteers and faculty can vote for which team has the best theme. Out of 36 teams, Rockin’ the Waves won this year’s best overall theme with their Baby Shark-themed attire.

But the fun doesn’t stop there. Throughout the night, students can choose to participate in an abundance of activities. The school offered two sessions of a Chopped-themed cooking class, yoga, dance fitness, hip hop and painting classes. If those activities didn’t appeal to some, students could also choose from other physical activities, a photo booth or movies. Other students opted to play foosball, air hockey or color to pass the time.

While the entertainment entices many, Torpey feels numerous students participate in the event to make a difference in the lives of those in need.

“This is just a really awesome, great group,” she said. “It has been the past couple of years. It’s crazy how well I think it runs for what it is... I look around and I see it’s kids who wanna be here for the right reason.”

Bauer agrees with Torpey, explaining the effort put forth by this year’s students made an impact.

“The kids did awesome,” Bauer said. “So many of them raised more than $100. It’s so cool to see them putting themselves out there and making a difference in the community.”

To Bauer, the event does more than raise money; she feels that it unifies a community under the common goal of supporting a good cause.

“It’s kind of humbling [to organize the Rock-a-Thon],” she said. “The entire staff comes together and the kids come together and it wouldn’t happen without teamwork. It’s really cool to sit back and watch everything happen because they’re such amazing people and kids.”

“The Rock-a-Thon would like to thank it’s sponsors for making the night of fun possible for the students,” Torpey said.