While the Temple Terrace Relay for Life gears up for its big event in April, King High School students are getting ready for their own relay this weekend.

King will support the American Cancer Society by presenting its ninth annual Relay for Life March 23-25, according to a press release from the school. King has the only student-run Relay for Life organization in Florida. More than 650 team members will participate in this year’s event, which is themed “The Animal KINGdom: Searching for a Cure.”

Students have been working on their 2012 campaign since September, according to the release. This weekend’s celebration will kick off with an annual Relay for Life Benefit Concert, featuring King High’s PRIDE Show Choir March 23 at 7 p.m. in the King auditorium. Tickets are free for cancer survivors, $5 for general seating and $10 for reserved seating.

PRIDE, a competitive mixed ensemble of singers, dancers and musicians, was featured in a 2011 Super Bowl commercial on Fox, and performs throughout the Tampa Bay area during the school year. Betsey Giammattei, a 12th-grader, will write and perform an original song, the release states.

An opening ceremony will take place March 24 at 3 p.m. on the school track. Cancer survivors are invited to walk a lap with their caregivers. At 9 p.m., luminarias will be lit in memory of loved ones who have passed away from cancer and to honor those who have survived it. At 11 p.m., all guests will leave the field and students will camp out for the rest of the event, the release states.

Over the last five years, King has raised more than $100,000 annually, the release states. This year, the school’s goal is to reach $150,000.

For more information on supporting King High School’s 2012 Relay For Life event, visit King High School Relay for Life online or call Kathryn Smith, event coordinator, at 813-404-3402.