At St. Margaret of Scotland Parish School, the fifth graders participate in St. Louis Dancing Classrooms.  This national program promotes poise, confidence, and a cooperative spirit through the use of ballroom dancing.  In the midst of learning the steps to international dances such as the tango, the merengue, the polka, the foxtrot and more and their cultural significance, fifth grade students grow in respect for one another, learn to support one another and overcome hurdles to friendships.

The Dancing Classrooms program runs in the second half of the school year. The entire fifth grade class participates in the event. Students will rehearse each of the dances for months as part of their in-school curriculum. The final program consists of a performance in front of the entire school (and parents) in the School Gym, followed by a regional competition with other area schools in South City. The competition involves all of the 5th-graders, with a pre-selected number of dancers also performing elements of each of the specific dances for judging. Gold awards are presented to the top two schools based off of group and individual performances – and if chosen, those two schools compete in the St. Louis Dancing Classrooms final competition (against the winners of all of the regional contests) at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the UMSL campus.