WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — From the outside, Hartford Memorial Middle School looked about as empty as expected on a Friday night. The building’s windows were dark, and only a handful of cars peppered the large parking lot.

The echo of a faint, pulsing beat, however, betrayed a very different scene inside.

It was the night of the school’s first dance marathon fundraiser, and the gymnasium had been transformed into a Spring Break-themed dance floor, replete with flip-flop garlands, paper sea creatures and a professional DJ.

Kicking off with an opening ceremony at 7 p.m., the event continued for the next 12 hours.

To attend the dance, students had to raise money from friends, family and area businesses. The grand total came to $11,804, which was donated to CHaD (Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock), the Upper Valley Haven and a Hartford family who lost their home in a recent fire.

“I wanted to make a change for my community because as a middle schooler we’re not always part of a lot of experiences where we can make a lot of change in our community, and this was a great opportunity,” said Chuck Looby, an eighth grader who served on the dance committee.

Chuck’s thinking is line with the hopes of social studies teacher Brycen Nardone, who spearheaded the event.

It “came from a place of wanting to support our community, but also give the middle schoolers something that they’ll remember,” Nardone said.

Nardone’s connection to dance marathons dates back to his time as a student at South Glens Falls High School in New York, which hosts what is billed as the largest dance marathon fundraiser in the country, raising over $700,000 at this year’s event.

His mother was part of the original iteration, and Nardone was a dance chairman when he was a senior in high school.

He’s dreamed of hosting a similar event at Hartford’s middle school since 2017, but the timing never felt right. Last year, the school went through a series of changes in leadership, including Cody TanCreti being named principal after the mid-year resignation of Justin Bouvier.

“I immediately knew if I was going to try for this, (TanCreti) would be the principal that would support it,” Nardone said.

With TanCreti’s blessing, a committee of five students was formed. The group met once a week to plan the event, which featured several costume competitions and numerous snack breaks. “I’ve never seen that many Pop Tarts in my life,” Nardone said.

Snacks were donated by the Hartford Community Coalition, an organization that hosts programming around mental health, food insecurity and drug use.

Some 40 teachers and Hartford High School students chaperoned the dance.

Initially, Nardone was nervous that kids would be too self-conscious to dance, but that was never an issue.

About 30 students occupied the floor at any time, at least in the first half of the night.

When DJ Skar hit play on Technotronic’s thumping “Pump Up the Jam,” three boys moved to the front of the crowd, hopping in unison.

Later a dance circle formed, with kids running into the center for a couple minutes to show off their moves.

Two boys, Charlie Witzgall and Asa Mock, often dropped to the ground to break dance. They were dressed as a horse and a banana.

“It’s a match made in heaven,” Charlie, 14, said.

Other students poured the same creativity into their costumes, like eighth grader Willow Rodewaldi-Day, who donned a pirate hat and leopard-print pants. Inspired by New England history, she wrapped the Vermont flag around her like a cape.

Willow won one of the awards for most creative costume.

“Wonderful!” she exclaimed, raising her bottle of Pepsi into the air in a triumphant gesture, when asked how she felt about the win.

Aside from raising money, the event was also about building community.

“We want our kids to feel like they belong,” said Debra Dixon, a teacher at the middle school who runs an elective called Broken Windows, in which students complete community service tasks around the school.

To encourage kids to socialize, phones weren’t allowed on the dance floor.

“It’s basically helping kids stay off their phones for 12 hours,” said eighth grade student Anabella Fiorelli.

The next morning, despite having stayed up all night, students helped take down decorations while they waited for their parents.

“I’m tired,” said Molly Vahey, one of the students on the dance committee. “But it was so nice.”

Marion Umpleby can be reached at mumpleby@gmail.com or 603-727-3306.