A pearly white smile spread from cheek to cheek, and on to each face in the gym. The cheer squad looked good and they had almost perfected their new dance routine. Twenty-five cheerleaders looked to their coach, and not only for guidance, but for inspiration and courage too.

In spring 2019, Childersburg High School hired a new cheer coach, Jessica Veazey. Coach Veazey claims that her and her sisters “eat, sleep, and breath cheerleading” and that coaching at CHS is “amazing”.

Cheerleaders can often be overheard saying "push through", a phrase that was coined by the varsity cheer coach. Coach Veazey says that “push through” came from the two battles she had with cancer—“There were several times that I wanted to give up, so I had to be strong for myself and my family.” She knows how hard life may seem but she wants the cheerleaders to know that they can always push through. Katie Sanders, a captain and senior cheerleader, states “her story doesn't just inspire me, but our entire cheer team.” Coach Veazey has “lit a spark” inside this year's team.

For many of the freshman cheerleaders, Coach Veazy isn’t a new coach. She guided and coached them during their middle-school years. Maddie McGowen reflects that Coach Veazey “has helped us grow” both “mentally and physically.”

Not only is there a new cheer coach, but also a new culture. Veteran cheerleaders say that the team is "a lot closer” and that Coach Veazey’s influence is the reason. "We’re a family and very unique in our own way," freshman Maddie McGowen says about the culture.

Coming into the year, the cheer squad looked to grow in numbers. “Having more means you can do more!” exclaimed Coach Veazey. Since the previous season, the cheer team has grown from eight cheerleaders to twenty-five. Katie Sanders was asked about the difficulties of the large team, “routines haven’t been harder this year. There’s just a lot more people this year and we have to work together.” Although the large team is a learning experience, Coach Veazey says "This group of athletes meshed well and everybody is working towards a common goal," and that common goal being to be the best cheer team.

A subject that Coach Veazey is addressing this year is the belief that cheerleading isn't a sport. The CHS cheer team put in the same amount of work as all the other sports and deserves the recognition of being a sport. Coach Veazey says that she "definitely thinks that cheerleading is a sport." This year, Childersburg High School will be starting a competition cheer squad. “I wanted to put them in the fire...that atmosphere is gonna make them do their best.” The competition cheer team will have their first meet, around the end of October.

Living a life through the appreciation of music has created several opportunities for Childersburg band director, Nathan Prather. ¨I started band in 6th grade, but even before that I was singing in the church choir,” he recalls. Mr. Prather’s mother also played a significant role in the development of his love for music by introducing his love for music by introducing him to the art and sharing her “beautiful singing voice.”

Speaking of loving music, the goal for this year's halftime performance is to create a sense of appreciation for the hardworking band members and their love of music. The Childersburg Tiger Band is hoping to march their way into your heart this year with their performance ̈Livin, Lovin, Thrillin”. This performance features snippets from classics “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond, and “Thriller” by Michael Jackson. When asked about the halftime performance and the selection of songs, Prather said “I am extremely excited about this halftime performance. I chose tunes that I hope the crowd will like and get into. A lot of times during halftime, people go get food, but I want them in the stands. I want them to enjoy the music and get involved.” This year, the cheerleaders will be dancing alongside the band members as they drop their instruments to entertain the crowd. If you decide to watch the halftime performance, prepare to be thrilled and watch something never done before.

By Jaylen Frost

We all know the first day of any new thing can be challenging, especially when it includes loud chaotic hallways and people you’ve never seen before.This is the orderly disorder of high school, or maybe just being a freshman. Overall ninth grade is possibly the most confusing year with all the new things you have to learn like finding classes, adjusting to the schedule, and meeting new teachers. Just to ease some of the pressure here’s some advice to make your Childersburg High School experience as smooth as possible.

First things first, you should get to know people, including the teachers and staff—the more relationships you develop the better. Everybody at CHS is nice and willing to help, so the more effort you show these people, the more effort they will give you. When teachers recognize you, they will be more willing to help when you find yourself in difficult situations.

Organization is key to success; procrastination is the path to failure. If you’re organized you can really put yourself ahead or at least keep your head above water. You don’t want to find yourself in a bad spot where you have not done any work or confused about your tasks. Logging into Inow is really helpful when it comes to monitoring and managing your grades. It can help you keep up with your assignments or even what classes you need the most help in.

Everyone says “later” or “I'll do it tomorrow”, but it's better to do everything as soon as you can. Using your free time to do homework or any other work you haven’t done can really help and even put you ahead of the game. Putting your work first sets you free to waste all the time you want without you having to worry about forgetting and missing assignments.

Finally, Dr. Lee is strict with his rules, but as the year progresses and things tend to calm down, you will see more opportunities for free dress and rewards. JT Stone found out firsthand when he was called out at the pep rally after he returned a lost phone to the office. Dr. Lee awarded him free dress for the next week. Although, the year might seem to get easier, don’t start to get too comfortable, exams and tests are still going to happen. This is just a bit of what will get you through freshman year; don’t be afraid to ask upperclassmen for advice.