by Mary Hilliard

The typical American high school has two key components: football and cheerleading. But can one exist without the other? What about if a school does not have football, can there still be cheerleading? Can there be cheerleading at a private school? A school without boys? St. Teresa’s does not have a cheerleading squad, although they have considered creating one recently. However, other all girls schools, such as local Notre Dame de Sion and St. Louis based Visitation Academy, Cor Jesu Academy, and Incarnate Word Academy have cheerleading.

“Co-ed or not, cheerleaders’ responsibility is to be fun and cheer on the school’s sports and other activities,” spirit club president Margaret Weiler said.

Sophomore Claire Jefferson, who is “all for” a cheerleading squad, said that if STA did create a team, it would improve school spirit.

“I think that [cheerleaders] would provide more spirit at school sporting events…,” Jefferson said. “They would be a guaranteed 10 people there for the whole game.”

The purpose of a cheer squad according to physical education teacher Stacie O’Rear is, “to support…teams and pump up the enthusiasm of the crowd.”

According to sophomore member of the STA dance team Ally Pribyl, cheerleading is an attractive quality for incoming freshmen.

“If you’re a cheerleader your only choice is Sion or a public school and so that kind of takes St. Teresa’s away from having a lot of great girls just because we don’t have a cheer squad,” Pribyl said. Pribyl said many prospective students who are cheerleaders ask about dance team as an alternative to cheerleading.

“At Open House we had a lot of girls come [to the dance team] and say ‘we’re cheerleaders, is dance team the same thing, do you do stunts’ and we have to say no,” Pribyl said. “We don’t do stunts and in order to be on dance team you have to have a background of dance.”

According to O’Rear, dance team is a competitive dance squad that performs at the games, while cheerleading would be spirit squad to pump up and support teams at all sporting events. According to Pribyl, since dancing and cheering are different they would not be competitive with each other.

Jefferson said that she could see Spirit Club and a cheerleading squad working together.

“[Spirit Club and a cheerleading squad] would be on the same side… they are both cheering for the same team,” said Jefferson.

However, starting a cheerleading squad at St. Teresa’s could be expensive, according to athletic director Mark Hough.

“…There are significant costs involved in starting up and supporting new programs. We are already limited on practice and locker room space for the teams we currently have.”

Hough does think a STA cheerleading team would be positive, because. “it is positive anytime we can create more opportunities for students to participate in extracurricular activities.”