Centennial High Spirit Squad

Published July 22, 2010

Excitement fills the air at Centennial High School where members of the CHS Spirit Squad are busy preparing for the start of a new school year.

Dozens of students gathered at Centennial last month to discuss ways they can make the 2010-2011 school year the best ever.

"We're all really excited for the start of school," said CHS teacher and Spirit Squad advisor Jenn Beasley. "The meetings are designed to keep the Spirit Squad informed of what's going on as we start to plan for the fall semester."

Some of the topics that were discussed included spirit wear, decorating parties and ways to get other students involved.

"I am a firm believer that the more extracurricular activities a student is involved in, the more fun his or her high school experience will be," said Beasley. "It also tends to correlate well with grades because the students seem to have more motivation."

The CHS Spirit Squad is open to any and every Centennial High School student, from freshmen to seniors. The squad is responsible for organizing activities like tailgating competitions, decorating lockers before football games and painting signs in support of the school's various athletic teams.

CHS junior Megan Gattis decided to join the squad after seeing how much fun her classmates had last year. "I love how everyone really gets into it," said Gattis. "I think it will make the school year more enjoyable."

And while having fun is important, teachers say there's much more to it than just that. “It’s really important in terms of getting kids connected to each other and helping them feel like they’re a part of the community," said CHS teacher Shelley Stice. "It just makes high school better for them.”