Rowdy for the Wrong Reasons

Kennedy+student+section+focused+on+the+game+while+the+cheerleaders+perform.

Haylee Brewer

Kennedy student section focused on the game while the cheerleaders perform.

 Kennedy High School is known for their ability to demonstrate support and encouragement for the football team on the field. Unfortunately, this level of respect has not been shown toward the cheerleaders. 

It started with the student section asking the cheerleaders to pick up items they dropped onto the field. 

“Sometimes it’s meant to be a joke but most of the times that is not the case,” said Mya Reyhons, sr. cheerleader. “It is just really frustrating to have students be that disrespectful towards us considering all the time and energy we put into practicing and learning new things to make games as involving and interesting as possible for the students.”

As the football season progressed, students began to scream over the cheers and stunts performed by the cheerleaders.

“It’s upsetting that our students don’t respect the time and support the cheerleaders give our teams,” said Shelby Patterson, the Kennedy cheer coach, “The cheerleaders are there to show endless support for everyone in those stands and on the team. The students job is to cheer and support their team as well, not be disrespectful to those who are leading that section.”

At the homecoming game against Washington High School, the situation escalated to students throwing their trash and bottles at the cheerleaders while they performed.

Administrators such as Aaron Stecker, Kennedy’s activities director, have had concerns on how to address the problem without a set source of the actions. 

“I’d like to think that we’ve got more respect for one another in each other’s efforts and energy and in the way we try to support the school, so if you’re busy doing that out there, knock it off,” said Stecker. “We should treat each other better than that. This isn’t how we do things, that’s not what we are about.”