ARE YOU READY for a dance-off?

If you are, then Uni Gym during lunch Monday is the place to be.

That's how X-Week '08 will kick off six days of fundraising activities, ending Saturday night with Big Show.

Every year during X-Week, students come up with different ways to raise money for a particular charity. In the past there have been various eating contests, water balloon fights, and raffles to raise money for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and CASA.

The week always ends with the senior auction and Big Show, a collection of student-written sketch comedy.

This year, X-Week will raise money for Urbana-Champaign Books to Prisoners, a not-for-profit organization that collects all kinds of books to send to prisons and detention centers. Books to Prisoners also accepts computers and financial donations.

As Student Council executive secretary-treasurer Shara Esbenshade said in a schoolwide e-mail Thursday night, several Uni students already volunteer with the group, and English teacher Suzanne Linder is an active member. (Update: As Suzanne Linder points out in her comment below, Uni librarian Frances Harris also volunteers with the organization and serves as a volunteer librarian at the Champaign County Jail.)

Here is the schedule for X-Week. All events will take place during lunch unless otherwise noted:

• Monday, May 5: Dance-off, Uni Gym (originally scheduled for second-floor hallway)
  "The winning dancer will be decided by whoever puts the most money in their jar," said Esbenshade. "So don't forget to bring some cash with you to school!"
• Tuesday, May 6: Talent show, Uni Gym
  Admission for the talent show will be just $1, so be sure to stop by. You may even get a chance to experience a little jazz from our very own Clement Dossin and Ethan Berl.
• Wednesday, May 7: Water balloons, outside area between Uni and Uni Gym
  Students for a Better World will hold a water balloon toss during lunch. Student and teacher volunteers will be the targets, and you can buy three water balloons for $1.
• Thursday, May 8: Senior auction, Uni Gym
  The tradition of the senior auction will continue, paired with an extended lunch period! Bring your loud voice for bidding.
• Friday, May 9: Noon dismissal! Big Show, 7 p.m., North Attic
  Since there is a half-day on Friday, there will be no events during the school day. However, be sure to return to school by 7 p.m. for the first of Big Show's two nights. Enjoy an evening of student-written and -directed comedy sketches and videos.
• Saturday, May 10: All-school volunteer activities; Big Show, 7 p.m., North Attic
  According to Esbenshade, Saturday will feature "hands-on all-school volunteer activities with Books to Prisoners and the Food Bank, complete with socializing and music and free food." More information will be provided next week, she said. X-Week will then conclude with the final performance of Big Show '08.

"In order to get everyone into a festive mood for the whole week, there will be music in the hallways during lunch and passing periods just like during Spirit Week," Esbenshade said. "But the point of X-Week is not just to have fun, but for Uni students to come together to give back to our community."

So if you want to hear a particular song during lunch or passing periods, you'll need to make a donation.

"Each passing period, I will play a song, and the one that I choose will be the one people paid the most money to hear," Esbenshade said. "There will be a small box in front of the Student Council office starting Monday morning for you to donate and request. In order to hear your song you must put at least $2 in and write down the song name and artist.

"I might need your help getting access to the song — an iPod or CD that has it would be helpful.
There will be a sheet where you can note how much you donated. At the end of each period, whoever paid the most for their song will get to hear it."