Ramona High School’s Unified Cheer Team Brings Inclusion, School Spirit to the Field

The cheers coming from the sidelines at Ramona High School football games this fall carry a special message: everyone belongs. Ramona High School’s new Unified Cheer Team is giving students with and without disabilities an opportunity to perform together, build friendships and become an active part of the school community.

The program is part of the school’s participation as a Unified Champion School through Special Olympics Southern California, an initiative that promotes inclusion and brings students together through sports and other activities. Diana Cervantes, a Special Education teacher in the Extensive Support Needs program at Ramona High School, is one of the adults helping lead the team. She said the idea began when Shawn Back, the school’s Adaptive PE teacher, approached her about getting involved.

“I absolutely loved the idea and was excited to be involved,” Cervantes said.

The program also received support from Ramona High School Principal Michael Giaime. Before coming to Ramona, Giaime helped Del Norte High School become a Unified Champion School, giving him experience and connections that helped the Ramona program get off the ground.

The Unified Cheer Team is a collaborative effort involving Cervantes, Back, Special Education teacher and song coach Brante Roe, Speech Language Pathologist and song coach Victoria Martinez, and Assistant Principal Brittany Workman. But the heart of the program is the students.

This first year, eight girls are participating as cheerleaders, each student partnered with a peer, bringing the total number of participating students to sixteen. The students range in age from 15 to 22. The program also includes students from San Diego Country Estates, making the team especially meaningful for local families who can cheer on friends and neighbors participating on the field.

Although the team began with a smaller group, the program is open to everyone.

“We decided to start our first year with a smaller group so we could build the program and make sure we were creating a positive experience for everyone involved,” Cervantes said.

The team practices for about an hour every Friday during school. Students learn cheers they can perform at games, spend time together and, appropriately, usually finish practice with a dance party. The Unified Cheer Team made its football debut this fall and performs during the first and second quarters and at halftime of Ramona High School varsity home football games.

Their September 25 halftime performance was a particularly memorable one for Cervantes.

“It was amazing!” she said. “It was so great to see all of the girls out on the field, performing and having fun with their friends.”

For Cervantes, watching the students’ excitement and confidence grow has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.

The team is scheduled to perform at the October 9 Homecoming football game and the October 23 Senior Night game. The program will continue beyond football season, with plans for the team to cheer at Ramona High School wrestling home matches during the winter season.

For Cervantes, however, the program is about much more than cheering.

“This program is important to me because it gives our students an opportunity to be included, build friendships, be part of the school community, and show what they can do,” she said.

She has especially enjoyed watching students and their peers come together to support one another.

“Watching their confidence grow and seeing how proud and happy they are when they are out on the field is incredibly rewarding,” Cervantes said.

The program is creating opportunities for students to participate alongside their peers while showing the Ramona community that inclusion can be as simple and as powerful as giving everyone a place on the team.

“I am grateful that we have the opportunity to create a space where every student feels like they belong and can be a part of something special at Ramona High School,” Cervantes said.

Photos courtesy of Gianni Velho.