Go Big Blue! Go Mustangs!” The cheerleaders’ voices ring out in the gym as they chant the cheers and perform the routines they have been perfecting for weeks.
The Unified Cheer team had a successful and exciting season, wrapping up on Feb. 9 by winning Grand Champions at the 2025 Sarah Spohn Memorial Unified Cheer Championship.
This annual unified event is organized through the Special Olympics. Unified Cheer teams in all unified events consist of alternative curriculum program students (ACP) and general education (Gen Ed) students. MN was one of six schools competing. Winning the championship brought much excitement to the team.
“I felt happy and excited,” freshman Tessa Pietro said.
Pride and a sense of accomplishment was also shared by many team members.
“I felt super proud of our team on how we competed and all of the hard work was worth it winning the championship,” freshman Peyton Knoell said.
The team had many spectators at the event to show their support and cheer them on.
“A lot of the parents came and my mom even was there. Some of the Gen Ed [student’s] parents came, paras, and other teachers, which was super cool,” ACP teacher Alexa Williams said.
In addition to the championship, they also performed at Jam the Gym hosted by Millard West High School. The event showcased the performances of many schools with JV, varsity, and unified teams. The team met once a week for five weeks preparing for this competition and the rest of the season.
“We worked on some sideline cheers. Then we learned a little dance all together. We had some of the freshman cheerleaders that helped us learn some of the sideline cheers that they do at football and basketball games, so that was really helpful,” Williams said.
Being part of the team is a great experience for all and is an easy way to get involved and meet new people.
“I love seeing everybody come together and seeing my kids with some of the Gen Ed kids that they might not interact with during the day,” Williams said. “Sometimes we feel cooped up down here in this hallway. It’s nice to be able to get out and make new friends and see new faces that we might not see.”
Many of the cheerleaders have created lots of new friendships and met new people.
“My favorite part of Unified Cheer is getting to spend time with everyone and making new friendships. I love how the unified program makes everyone feel welcome and anyone can join,” Knoell said.
Unified Cheer is one of the many unified programs offered at school. Other activities include Unified Basketball, Unified Track, Unified Bowling and Unified Club. Many of the cheerleaders also participate in these programs, which has led them to explore new interests.
“I got into Unified Cheer because I have been doing unified activities for a while. I have made connections with so many of my teammates and many of them asked if I was going to do Unified Cheer. I was instantly on board,” freshman Journey Siedlik said.
Anyone can join any of the unified activities, and no experience is required. It is a great opportunity to make new friends.
“I love the unified program because of the experiences I have been able to have with so many people I never would have met before. Unified club is a place where anyone can come to have fun, make new friends, play games, and have dance parties, without fear of being judged,” Siedlik said.
If you are a student and would like to be involved in unified programs, more information is available on the MNHS website’s activities page. Unified Club meets after school on the last Tuesday of each month. More information can also be found on the Unified’s Instagram account, @millardnorthunified. As always, anyone is welcome.