Panther Valley Intermediate School held a mini Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society on Friday morning, and students came out in costume to make for a festive fundraiser.

Principal Lisa Mace said that the donation drive kicked off two weeks ago with the school's "Penny Wars," with each homeroom competing to collect the most pennies. Friday's big event took the idea of a walk-a-thon to a cabaret level."Each of our homerooms picked a theme, they created a banner and today they got to walk around as a homeroom together," Mace said.Students took a trek around the bus loop in the school parking lot, with each homeroom class taking on a particular theme, ranging from popular fiction characters from the "Star Wars" universe to the more outlandish but creative. "Switching for a Cure" had girls and boys swapping out their respective clothing styles. Upbeat music kept spirits high throughout the day."Our theme was 'May the Cure be With You," said fifth-grader Kylie Skodacek, 11, who was sporting a Chewbacca mask.For a little while, teachers toned the tunes down and read a list of names that students had submitted for friends and loved ones who were fighting cancer or had passed away."A couple of my family members had cancer, and they passed away," fifth-grader Stephen Hood, 11, said.With the sizable contributions from Panther Valley Intermediate, hopefully the American Cancer Society will be able to further the mission for a cure."All of the money that we raise is going to our Relay for Life team, and we will present that at our Relay for Life event in Tamaqua in June," Mace said.Check out a video of the mini Relay on the Times News Facebook page.