Sparkles starts off the year
The Sparkles team poses for a photo.
Summer 2018 has come to an end, marking the start of the 2018-19 school year. Sparkles, a program at A-West High School, is preparing for their first performance of the year and they look forward to football, basketball, softball, and soccer game performances.
With the fall events such as the homecoming dance and the leadership conference, Sparkles began practice for an hour after school every Monday and Wednesday. Sparkles routines are made up of hand or arm movements and a few jumps. This helps the participants feel involved and energized with the routine without making it too difficult to memorize. Carissa Maseburg, a former NFL cheerleader and current A-West math teacher, has a lot to say about the students in Sparkles this year. Maesburg is the faculty sponsor for Sparkles.
She said, ¨It is going to be a great year with our great range of students. This year is very exciting.”
Sparkles is involved in many extra curricular events, including sports games, Day Without Hate, and the annual leadership conference. Sparkles students and their peer coaches practiced a routine for the homecoming football game. Although, this year they only had 5 practices to create their performance, shortening the performance length.
¨Even over the homecoming halftime show the students enjoy Day Without Hate the most,¨ said Maseburg.
“Sparkles is a family and we could not be any closer. These families go through so much, the cheer team gives everyone an out, a way to just have fun!¨ said Maseburg.
Sparkles throws one annual end of year banquet dinner to celebrate the success of the team by having dinner and watching great memories through a slide show. They also host an annual holiday sock exchange to give as well as receive on the bright December holiday.
Sparkles will be showing up in style this year. A new foundation called the Sparkle Effect has donated one thousand dollars to the A-West Sparkles program, which former principal Dr. Robert Bishop, had agreed to match. Sparkles has now gotten the money to purchase real jerseys for all participants.
Sparkles members have disabilities that make it difficult for them to interact with the normal craziness of the average A-West lunch room. Sparkles has a class during fourth period so they all eat lunch early to bond and eat together, much like other sports team.
