The MHS cheer team had their senior night on February 7th, which was filled with tears, joy, and love.
Senior night serves as a wholesome moment where senior athletes are given the stage and celebrated for their accomplishments and commitment throughout their high school careers.
Anyone who plays sports looks forward to this moment, especially if it is their last time playing on the team. Seniors can get posters and gift baskets from underclassmen players, families, and friends, making them feel special.
When the night started, everyone was eager to see the cheerleaders perform. All of the cheerleaders lined up to start their dance for the boys’ basketball team to welcome them, as it was also their senior night. Once they finished, the cheerleaders were able to take photos with their seniors and prepare before the ceremony.
Once it was time, each senior lined up with their family and friends, and coach Brianna Silva-Couture introduced them and gave a short speech. The seniors could then take another photo to capture the moment. Before the basketball game started, senior Captain Saniah Charles led the team to a huddle and gave a pep-talk to the cheer team before standing for the National Anthem.
Charles joined the team during her sophomore year after being encouraged by her friend to join. She felt that it was an environment that she wanted to be a part of, and she stayed on the team to better her skills and create more memories. Charles believes that “it felt very thrilling and truly heartwarming to experience senior night. It’s a night everyone is excited to experience since freshman year, so to actually be able to be the senior and have this night was truly beautiful.
Senior Captain Samara Valencia Perez also joined her sophomore year, and although she will not continue to cheer after high school, she is grateful that she gained “so many friendships and memories.”“ Perez expanded on her experience, emphasizing how “the girls made the night the best it could have been. The decoration and the set up was beautiful.”
Senior Captain Isabella Troung has been doing cheer since she was young but took a break from it. She eventually joined the team because of her sister. “It was a surreal experience to cheer on senior night, especially because it was one of my last nights cheering. The girls really went all out and made the seniors feel super loved and special,” Truong expressed with gratitude.
Senior Mia McMillan did gymnastics and cheerleading when she was younger and joined the team during her junior year. “It felt very bittersweet experiencing senior night, I felt very loved and had a great night but I am sad to be leaving and knowing [that] I won’t experience high school cheer again,” commented McMillan.
Senior Olivia Ivy has also been on the team since her sophomore year. At first, she was hesitant to join, but her friend encouraged her to try out. “I really enjoyed being on the team and cheer[ing] in general. It introduced me to a lot of new people and a sport that I truly love,” shared Ivy.
Overall, anyone could agree that their cheer performance went well. “I thought everyone performed so well that night, our girls’ performance, the boys playing, the seniors… all the work we’ve been putting in all season paid off well for our senior night,” emphasized Truong. Perez also believed that she did a great job, sharing, “I tried my best to keep my head high while realizing that was my last time cheering with my girls.”
Looking ahead, the departing seniors shared a few pieces of advice, hoping the underclassmen will learn from their leadership and experience. Ivy hopes that the underclassmen cheerleaders will learn “to trust each other and grow closer as the new season comes,” and “that they step up and show the new cheerleaders the same positive environment we always tried to create.”
Similarly, McMillan wants the cheerleaders to be able to create new bonds, “keep on going even when times get hard or stressful…I also hope they learned how to step out of their comfort zone and be themselves proudly!“
“I also hope for the girls to help all of the new girls and make everyone feel included. As a captain, I hope my future captains follow our ways of being captain and be better,” voiced Perez.
There’s no denying that there will be common obstacles; for Charles, she found it difficult to adapt as the cheerleading team gained more people. “I say this because now learning to cater and be there for everyone is already hard, but even harder with a larger group, so to figure out how to keep that balance was definitely a challenge,” stated Charles.
Perez also faced the same obstacle as Charles, mentioning that it was hard trying to bond with all of the new girls this season.
Although there were many challenges, the seniors also made many memories while being on the team. One of Truong’s favorite memories was during the fall season, mentioning how every memory during those nights were unforgettable. While team bonding and eating out is undeniably a common favorite memory, Truong’s favorite memory in particular was when “We got to T’P the football seniors’ houses, that was definitely one of the best nights.” McMillan agreed that T’Ping was also a favorite moment of hers.
Reflecting back on the season, though the seniors faced many challenges, senior night was a celebration of all of their memories and achievements. They are deeply thankful for the support, love, and joy that they received to make this season an unforgettable one.
