Bianca Harkless
Editor-In-Chief
Ironwood is known for our great school spirit. Though we have many amazing groups that contribute to that, when I look back on my time at Ironwood, I think of two groups who constantly work hard to make sure that our campus is proud to be Eagles: Student Council and Spirit Line/Cheer.
Ironwood’s cheerleaders can be seen cheering at assemblies, pep rallies and partaking in spirit days around campus. As cheerleaders, their job around campus is to lead their fellow students in being positive and making sure that there is respect and pride for whatever the school is doing.
This season, our cheerleaders have not been able to go to summer camp, where they stunt and do team bonding activities. Typically, the team would have begun in June where they would work for their first routine, competition routine and work on team bonding to create a united front. This year, on the other hand, Tuesday, September 1st, is when the team had their first in person interaction. Up until now they had been practicing virtually, with their practices beginning in June. Everytime the team conditioned, they would play games to get to know one another. In order to promote a closer team they also picked a buddy, a veteran-rookie pair, to connect.
Before the team could start connecting, they had to try out. Obviously, the tryout process was different for this season. The typical tryout process is 3 days in which the candidate comes in and learns one-on-one with seniors who are leaving. This year, they did a two week virtual process where the candidates had to apply via forms and material that was emailed to them. The candidates would then record themselves doing the dances, cheers and jumps then they would send them to judges. The judges had a specific scoresheet for each set. Although virtual tryouts worked, “I am so happy to get back to in person in the spring…” said Coach May.
In order to make sure our cheerleaders stay safe, Coach May takes the students temperatures. They are all required to wear masks, bring their own water and come already dressed out. She asks them exposure questions, then they wash their hands and sit in designated spots. They also wash their hands between their different sections of practice.
To all of Coach May’s athletes, she would like to say that she is proud of you. You guys have taken this new normal with dignity and managed to make it work. For the seniors, she knows how hard this has been and she understands that and is happy that you guys are getting your final season. She also says, “I cannot imagine taking on this journey with any other team. I am thankful every day to be their coach. They help me just as much as I help them in building each other up.”
The Student Council works just as hard as our cheerleaders. They decorate the campus for the spirit weeks, they help out with TNT Nights, and they help boost morale on campus. As many people know, this week is spirit week! The Student Council thought it would be a good idea -- to bring back some of the normalcy that would have happened if we were able to be on campus. The assembly committee came up with the days. Right now, this spirit week was just dress up days that were added to their Instagram page. The presentation of photos was both creative and uplifting! In the future, they hope to implement some more activities when all students are back on campus.
The Student Council has been teaming up with students by reaching out to students individually and also through their social media. They create a weekly video though their media class, send weekly encouragements, and reach out to help the surrounding community. Ms. Wilson, the advisor for Ironwood, said that “Our main goal during these times is to bring a little bit of spirit and to also make sure students and staff are cared about!”
Having groups around campus like Spirit Line and Student Council are huge moral boosts and deserve more recognition around campus. They support students in the only ways available while we are online. Having groups like student council and spirtline are making the time we spend waiting before we go back to school more bearable.
Image Credit: Amanda Jones on Unsplash
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