Shaker Makers
The TBS cheerleaders are finding new and creative ways to pump up the fans at football games.
Eighth graders Olivia Cornett (left) and Kate Waxman cheer on the seventh and eighth-grade team using the shakers on September 14.
Seventh grader Catherine Schenk adds some glitter to her shaker during the team’s practice in the wrestling room.
The cheerleaders are adding some pizzaz to their routine this year , and building up school spirit more than ever before. With some help from parents, they made shakers to be handed out to fans of the middle school football teams. The thought behind this project was that it would allow the TBS fans to add some noise and spirit when cheering on their Bucs. Mrs. Amanda Pierman ’97, upper school science teacher and mother of seventh-grade cheerleader Ella Pierman, used orange and blue food coloring to dyed two buckets full of dried rice orange and blue and brought it in.
The cheerleading squad then used the rice, along with silver and gold glitter, to fill empty Gatorade bottles, decorating them with ribbon and yarn.
Mrs. Piper Crisafi, a substitute teacher, and interim dance instructor, and mother of eighth-grade cheerleader Briley Crisafi, helped collect and clean out the Gatorade bottles and brought in some of the decorating supplies.
“I think that the cheerleaders…wanted to encourage more participation from the fans in order to help pump up the football team,” Crisafi explained. “[Doing projects such as this] is well worth it when you realize that this is how communities are built!”
The cheerleaders also enjoyed the experience and were pleased with how the shakers turned out. “I think that the shakers are a good way to get the fans involved in the game more,” said eighth-grade cheerleader Grace Myers. “Every game we always have one or two parents super psyched about the game who always respond to our cheers. Making shakers and handing them out gets the cheerleaders involved with the fans.”
Seventh-grade cheerleader Sydney Steinger makes her shaker by funneling blue rice into one of the Gatorade bottles.
Emeline Smith agreed, saying that “the crowd was so much more enthusiastic and excited! They were so much fun to make, and really brought our team together!”
The shakers must have helped as the seventh and eighth-grade football team recorded their first win of the season with the shakers in the hands of their fans. They destroyed Pine Crest Boca Raton 42-7.
The girls are excited for their season to progress, and are thinking about trying some new ideas similar to the shakers.
“We may make signs for the team and [the individual players]” said eighth-grade cheerleader Brooke Hayes. Added seventh grader Sophia Liporace, “We made circles out of pipe cleaner with bells on them for the fans, too.”
With their pep and creative projects, hopefully the cheerleaders can continue to incite the fans and inspire the football team to keep on winning.
