There’s more to a high school game than just touchdowns, baskets or goals. Behind the cheers and halftime excitement, a dedicated group of students spends hours practicing, performing and creating atmosphere, yet their efforts often go unrecognized. From color guard to band, to cheerleading to dancing, these performers say their work matters, but they wish more people noticed.

Ethan Gaxiola, a sophomore in color guard, didn’t hesitate when asked why he joined. 

“Color guard is entertaining,” he shared. “You should try it out if you’re bored and have nothing to do after school. As a first-year student, he’s still adjusting to the physical demands, saying that throwing and catching has been a recent challenge he’s trying to master.. 

Before performances, Gaxiola admits he feels “a little anxious … a little bit of everything,” but in the end, “it’s really fun.” 

Meanwhile, Saylee Montano, a freshman in color guard, spoke on her enthusiasm. After just a month, she called the activity “fun,” though the pep-tunes are “challenging.” 

“I feel nervous before a performance,” she admitted, but she quickly added that she has “tons of fun.”

For the sophomore Arabella Yrigoyen, who’s spent five years in band, two of which on this school's marching squad, the meaning for her is deeper. She described band as “an incredible experience” full of friendly faces, spirited events and lasting memories. Like many, she feels nervous before shows, but is hopeful. “I have hope that we’ll do just fine,” she added. Freshman Nathan Manzano Ordonez, who recently joined band, summed it up as “fun” and “non-challenging,” though he’s honest that mastering an instrument takes time.

And from the sidelines of performance and school spirit Maryalice Tejeda, a freshman cheerleader and co-captain offered an enthusiastic perspective into cheerleading. She said cheer is “a blissful experience involving expression, games, cheers and stunts rooted in trust and passion.” For her, excitement builds before a performance and understands that “[...] mistakes are acceptable.”

Senior Yennifer Diaz, the color-guard captain shared a more experienced perspective. Her goal this year is to build a unified team with high scores and widespread recognition. Other than wins, she values growth, “seeing how they go from scared to proud [...] reach their ultimate potential.” For her, a successful session isn’t just a perfect routine, but also seeing how the students grow out of their shell.

Natalia Lizarrage, senior captain of the Royal Blues dance team, remembers winning first place at their final competition junior year and a solid finish third overall during sophomore year. Her personal goals for this year are to improve as a dancer and help others improve as well. Like other performers, she thinks dance is less prominent compared to sports. This is not because of a lack of effort, but rather circumstance, since the competitions are held at other schools and they don't perform as much as they would like. She mentioned a common misconception with outsiders about dance is that it is easy. 

“The truth is,” she explained, "it requires a lot of stamina and dedication." For her, success isn't just nailing choreography, it's about focus, effort and unity: "A successful session is when we are able to learn a dance quickly and everyone is focused." 

She continues not just out of passion, but out of purpose, a desire to help the team grow and gain the recognition it deserves. With competition season beginning in the second semester, the team prepares not only for upcoming events, but for two Christmas parades scheduled for this month.

The responses shared show that the many students in the performing arts feel that they lack attention or praise. Gaxiola and Montano believe their activity gets little recognition simply because “it’s not the actual game.” 

For students like Yriogyen and Manzano, the cultural bias toward competitive sports plays a big role since many prefer the drama of athletic competition over instrumental or performance-based arts. Maryalice pointed out that cheer and guard are often viewed as “decoration,” despite the intense effort and long, hot practices under the sun. 

Diaz reinforced this concern by saying many people mistakenly believe you can “learn color guard in a few hours.” But in reality, she argues that it “takes a lot more unison and it’s not so simple.”

All participants from newcomers to veteran players agreed that they’d all welcome more attention and praise. Not for personal pride, but to feel that their hard work, passion and contribution to school events really affects the atmosphere.

Reasons for joining vary greatly. For some, it was simply something fun to do after school. For others, it was passion, new friendships and the chance to learn. Others may have been drawn in by friends. Some people may also have admired these performances and decided to try it out. Yet across all stories, the real reward lies in community and growth. Diaz finds fulfillment in watching shy students evolve into proud performers. Arabella loves the collective spirit that the marching band brings. For many, the thrill of stepping onto the field for a game, performance, or halftime show and adding something uniquely theirs to the experience is reason enough to continue year after year.

In the end, the message from every dancer, musician, cheerleader and color-guard member is clear: performing arts are not just accessories to school events. They define the energy, atmosphere and memories we associate with them. These students wake early, practice late (in the cold and in the heat), travel for competitions, face nerves and push past physical and emotional challenges to deliver performances that often go unnoticed. Yet despite limited recognition, stereotypes and the pressure to execute flawlessly, they continue. Not for applause, but for passion, pride and community. Their achievements, from first-place titles to personal breakthroughs, prove that their work is not just important, but extraordinary. And if their dedication shapes our school spirit, then the least we can offer in return is attention, respect and support because when we acknowledge them, we strengthen the very heart of the school experience.