PEP & CHEER

Welcome to Santiago's Pep & Cheer Program

MISSION STATEMENT

Santiago Pep & Cheer was started in 2018 to provide dance to students at Santiago while promoting school spirit. The major focus of our cheer program is to support the Santiago Turtles Athletic Program, our school and various activities held on campus and in the community. It is also our focus to provide positive leadership for the student body and community in developing school spirit and pride at athletic and other student events. The Pep Squad Program will provide the members with an outlet for developing personal poise, physical strength, stamina, coordination, showmanship, and the opportunity to learn to work together as a team.

  PHILOSOPHY

It is an honor and privilege to be a member of the Santiago Pep Squad. Being a member requires a tremendous amount of dedication, time, and personal responsibility that other activities may not require. In order to maintain the standards of the Santiago Pep Squad and to promote showmanship, it is necessary to have a body of well-trained and disciplined students.

  TEAM

Our program consists of one team composed of 6th, 7th and/or 8th graders.

 PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Jennifer Davis-Rivera, jennifer.davis-rivera@sausdlearns.net

Follow us on@santiagopepcheer for all the latest happenings!

WHY JOIN SANTIAGO PEP & CHEER?

Tryouts are a chance to be brave

Yes, it is a little nerve-wracking to get up and perform in front of people, but you will feel such a rush during your performance and a sense of accomplishment after! Plus, these nerves can be minimized and controlled with a little mental preparation before tryouts.

 It helps boost self-esteem and gain confidence

Being brave will give you confidence. Even if you don't make the team, just having tried and put yourself out there will give you the confidence to try other things you might like. Confidence comes from taking action and trying new things, not from doing things flawlessly.

 You might be great at it

What if you end up being an amazing cheerleader? You never know unless you try! Even if you've cheered before and aren't sure if it's something you really want to dedicate yourself to, a new team dynamic could bring out a different side of you and you could really excel - whether it's at making posters and signs, organizing pep rallies and other events, or dancing.

 You’ll make new friends

Teammates are the best friends you'll ever have. If you make the team, you'll have a second family that you won't be able to imagine living without. Even if you don't make the team, you will get a chance to meet some great people at tryouts who could end up being lifelong friends!

 Cheerleading has health benefits

Staying active, working on your flexibility, having fun, and enjoying social interaction are all key elements of a healthy lifestyle. Cheerleading is good for your body, mind, and soul!

 You’ll learn dance techniques

And dancing just rocks! Enough said.

 You’ll be more involved in school

Being a cheerleader gives you a prominent role in your school. You'll be responsible for raising school spirit and supporting school teams, and you'll get to be a positive influence on your classmates through pep rallies, fundraisers, and other school events. You might even get to wear your uniform or warmups on game days!

Cheerleading teaches you valuable lessons

All sports can ingrain good habits and characteristics in athletes, but cheerleading does this to an even greater extent. Not only do you learn about working hard, winning and losing, and sportsmanship, but you also focus a lot on helping other people, whether by raising spirit or giving back to your school and community. Plus, you gain a lot of experience as a cheerleader that can help you get a job later!

You'll become a great goal setter

Cheerleading helps team members set goals. Achieving goals large or small is what generates our sense of achievement. Setting goals is one way to sort through what we want out of life versus what we think we should do. Through cheerleading we start to automatically set goals as it becomes part of our nature.

You'll develop self-awareness

Critical to childhood development, in cheerleading we learn self-awareness in two ways. Physical self-awareness and being aware of what our bodies are doing through the air and on the floor. Emotional self-awareness means thinking about how we are conducting ourselves in a new unfamiliar environment (e.g. at a national competition). Both forms of self-awareness are priceless skills to take beyond cheerleading into everyday life.

Learn to master time management skills

Cheerleading, like any other sport, is a major time commitment. Kids have to learn how to juggle not only cheer but also school, family commitments, friends and all the other things life throws at them. The difference between cheerleading and other team sports is that every single squad member plays a vital role to the success or failure of the team. If kids don’t learn good time management skills, it can affect not only their team mates but also their cheerleading experience.

You'll be well groomed

Being well groomed and presentable is important not only for cheerleading but also in everyday situations. It is not about vanity but taking pride in your appearance. Kids are taught through cheerleading to be proud of their uniform, their colours and their club. If these skill can be learned when kids are young they can help them not only in future job interviews but also when they enter into the work force. And how cute are our uniforms, anyway!

MEET THE COACH

Jennifer Davis-Rivera

Mrs. Rivera brings 35+ years of professional dance experience to this program. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from University of California, Irvine with emphasis in performance and teaching, after which she worked professionally as a dancer, dance captain, singer, and actor for 15 years. Prior to all that she was a cheerleader at Kastner Intermediate School and Clovis West High School in Fresno, California. These schools are known for their excellence in pep and cheer having won several National Championships over the past 40+ years. Mrs. Rivera also choreographs for Disney Musicals in Schools, SAUSD Summer Enrichment in Musical Theater and Santiago Drama.