“We got her a wig, but she never got to wear it in time,” said Madison Snyder, a student at Greater Latrobe, as she talked about her late grandmother, who battled blood cancer. Stories like Snyder’s are at the heart of Rockdown.
For six hours, Greater Latrobe will come together for the eighth returning Latrobe Rockdown, a school-wide fundraising event that blends the arts, academics, and athletics into one high-energy experience. Organized to support Greater Latrobe High Post Publication and Blood Cancer United organization, Rockdown brings faculty, students, and the community together for a cause that extends way beyond school walls. This event, organized by an Executive Organizing Board and Committee, is shaped to promote drug and alcohol free behaviors while bringing back school spirit and involvement. The night full of energy and entertainment takes place on February 21, 2026, from 1 pm-7 pm in the Greater Latrobe Senior High Athletic wing. The theme is Glow for a Cause.
Greater Latrobe chose Blood Cancer United as a beneficiary of Rockdown because of the organization’s direct impact on individuals and families affected by blood cancers, including leukemia and lymphoma. By supporting Blood Cancer United, the event connects student-led fundraising to a cause that promotes research, patient advocacy, and access to life-saving care. The partnership allows students to turn school spirit and creativity into meaningful action, extending Rockdown’s impact beyond the Greater Latrobe community and into the lives of those facing illness.
“The amount of studies that have gone into blood cancer alone has been hundreds of thousands of dollars, but they aren’t getting far with the cancer,” Madison Snyder explained when asked why she specifically wanted to participate in raising funds for BCU. “Leukemia is a very fast cancer. It can come on very suddenly. You’re not really expecting it a lot of the time.”
Maddie’s grandmother had been diagnosed with blood cancer and passed away from it eight years ago. When she heard about Rockdown and supporting this cause, she was immediately all for it. Snyder has been a big part since the beginning in helping organize much of the entertainment and sorting through each obstacle taken.
“Watching someone go through chemo is insane. Their whole body just deteriorates–it’s a heavy drug,” Maddie explained as she was present for the whole process of her grandmother. She has expressed her gratitude towards this event and getting to honor her late grandmother, a woman described as brave, joyful, and full of life until the end.
“It’s a mindset. The mindset is ‘How can we do good for other people, whether we know them or not?’,” Dr. Benning, the Greater Latrobe Senior High School principal, quoted in regards to the foundation of this event—giving back to the community and providing more resources for blood cancer patients.
During this event, student teams will gather, earning as many points as possible by engaging in student-led activities to earn a grand prize at the end of the six hours. The week leading up to this event, a scavenger hunt will occur where students travel to sponsoring businesses and take a picture with their team, sending it to the Rockdown Instagram (@glsdrockdown) and earning points to their end total.
“It’s exciting. There’s community effort and student leadership that ties into truly doing good while you’re trying to do well,” the principal commented while introducing the concept of Rockdown.
The Arts department will provide activities such as face painting, card making, origami, and caricatures. The Athletics department will hold tournaments: spikeball, ping pong, corn hole, and glow-in-the-dark barrier ball. Meanwhile, the Academic department is providing an assortment of activities to help pass the time. This includes trivia, Minute to Win It, puzzles, an escape room, board games, and a virtual reality experience. Entertainment will be held with live musical performances provided by students, community, and alumni bands—a chance to show off the talent and hard work of our music classes and community. Local and national bands are to pop up on the stage as raffles, prizes, and contests are held to keep friendly competition through the night. A free dinner ticket will be provided along with the purchase of the event ticket.
With planning such a major event, there is a lot of pent-up energy and excitement to bring back such a huge feat. Dr. Benning stated, “There’s a lot of potential both in terms of bringing back a great opportunity that was available before, but also, moving forward, an opportunity for students to lead, participate in our school, to have fun, and it’s all for a good cause. It’s a win-win.”
“It is a challenge for students to realize that this is an opportunity to build school culture and to compete with friends, against friends, and come out and have some fun,” Dr. Benning commented as he is excited to see students compete and engage in this large event.
The last Latrobe Rockdown was held in 2008, gaining 603 people in attendance and successfully raising $22,441.40. The opening ceremony had speakers such as the Superintendent of GLSH, the representative of LAH Charitable Foundation, Arnold Palmer Pavilion, Post Gazette Pavilion, and an emotional account by the Smetaks—the family of a student who passed away from cancer in 2006.
The night was sparked with an assortment of entertainment, including The Clark, local bands, an all-night DJ, student talent, the Bawls Energy Lounge, a visit from the Pittsburgh Pirates mascot, video arcades provided by Best Buy, games, raffles, contests, movies, and sports tournaments.
The Executive Organizing Board and Committee are hard at work and excited to put on this large event, and expect to see hundreds gather for a night of fun, competition, music, and dancing.
