Clarke Central High School varsity cheerleaders seniors Kourtney Mitchum, Aniya Willis, Kenya Gresham, Zykearia Dean, Amya Sherrer, A’Kyia Martin, Jessica Mack and sophomore La’Kayla Taylor (left to right) pose for a picture at Alps Road Elementary School on Aug. 31. According to Willis, the team members share a close bond. “It’s always like a good vibe. No negative vibes. Everybody gets along with each other. It’s like we’re really like sisters, for real,” Willis said. “We argue sometimes, don’t get me wrong, but it’s all out of love.” Photo courtesy of Aniya Willis
Krystian Edwards, a 2010 Clarke Central High School alumna, is the head football cheerleading coach as of the 2018-19 school year.
Following tryouts for the cheerleading team for the 2018-19 school year in April 2018, Alps Road Elementary School special education teacher Krystian Edwards took over as the head football cheerleading coach, replacing former Curriculum Assistance Program for Students (CAPS) department teacher Brooke Craft.
Edwards, a 2010 Clarke Central High School alumna, is eager to make changes to the cheerleading program.
“A goal that we have accomplished already is to change up the style of the cheers, because the cheers that the girls were still doing last year were some of the same cheers from when I was there,” Edwards said.
According to senior varsity cheerleader Aniya Willis, Edwards’ coaching style is appreciated among the members of the team.
“Coach Edwards is open to every idea, and if she’s with it, and everybody’s with it, then it’s gonna happen for sure,” Willis said. “I like the past cheers as well, but we wanted to spice it up, and she was really feeling that. That’s what I know the majority of the team likes.”
Edwards says that community involvement is a goal for the cheerleaders this school year.
“We are planning every Friday to attend a Westside elementary school and greet students from the car line and from the bus. Last week, we started at Alps Road, here, and then today, they went to Timothy,” Edwards said. “It was just wonderful. The kids thought they were celebrities.”
Edwards hopes that the presence of cheerleaders at the elementary school will help bridge the gap between different levels of schooling in the Clarke County School District.
“It’s just great for pre-K through fifth grades, you know, the younger grades, to see these students because they want to be cheerleaders, football players,” Edwards said. “This was something we tagged on along with the football team. We’re CCSD, so (we don’t want to) have everything so separate.”
