On December 1st, nine members of the Melissa High School Varsity cheer team boarded a plane and left a cold and rainy Texas for a bright and sunny Florida. These lucky ladies were given the unbelievable opportunity to represent Melissa by performing in the Varsity Spirit Spectacular in Walt Disney World, Orlando. The Varsity Spirit company invited cheer captains and officers from around the country to participate in this extraordinary event and spread the holiday cheer by leading the Festival of Fantasy Parade through Magical Kingdom.

Upon their arrival to Disney’s Coronado Springs resort, The Melissa cheerleaders completed an evaluation of their routine, that was learned prior to leaving home, and a four hour practice followed, in order to prepare for parade day. Our cardinal cheer team was then rewarded with a day off on Friday to explore and enjoy their time around parks.

Saturday, the cheerleaders took their stage and performed at 3pm in the afternoon. The streets were lined with families and children that looked up to these cheerleaders as role models and inspiration. Part of the responsibility of being a cheer captain is to not only lead a team but to be a proper example for young girls in their own community. The captains and officers at Melissa High School displayed such honorable leadership skills throughout the year, therefore they were given this special occasion to let their skills be shown at a much larger platform.

The trip as a whole was a fun and exciting time for team. While in Disney, the girls not only got to spend a generous amount of time experiencing the magic of the theme park but got to show off their extraordinary talent with other cheerleaders from around the nation. This trip was the first time cheerleaders from Melissa had the opportunity to travel to celebrate their own ability, and, as a whole, this served as a major accomplishment for the future of the entire cheer program at Melissa High School.