“Ms. Medina, this was the best day ever!”
Hearing that from one of my students’ is what makes all the hard work worth it.
This was the 4th year I have directed a team of cheerleaders to participate in the MLK Grande Parade in the streets of Houston. The purpose of the parade, held Monday, January 20, was to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.on this national holiday and inspire others to do the same.
The cheerleaders worked very hard in order to participate in this event. They had to attend practice every day and still keep up with their class work. Most of these girls had never participated in an event of this kind and were very intrigued by the fact that they would be marching with college cheerleaders and band members.
The 40 girls from the Northeast Campus marched and cheered for about a mile and did it with a smile. Many parents were on hand to support their children and take pictures. I am very proud of all the effort and time these girls put into this event and look forward to many other events to showcase their talent.
The girls wore royal blue and white uniforms, waved pom poms and chanted “We are the Mustangs,” “Rock with the Blue,” “Chu Chu,” “Come on, Varnett,” and “We are the Best,” The 20th Annual MLK Grande Parade originated at San Jacinto and Elgin streets near the Houston Community College’s central campus and will stretch one, ending at San Jacinto and Webster streets.
The crowd waved to the students and marveled at their performance.
Ms. Rhoneshia Brewster expressed pride as she watched her niece, first-grader Catlyn Mitchell, march in the parade.
"This gives the girls something different to do," Ms. Brewster said. "This is the first time she's marched on her own. She was great and I have plenty of pictures."
Ms. Brewster said the experience will go a long way toward boosting her niece's self-esteem. "It's a big girl thing to do," she said. ":Getting dressed up made her feel pretty and it was good for her confidence."
Pete McConnell contributed to this report.
MLK Parade Theme:
"There is but One Race, and that is The Human Race. This message was articulated very clearly by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Visionary who saw things from a different perspective. Almost forty years later, we now see those things, and we will strive to incorporate those things into our everyday lives in the knowledge of "Change Begins With Self."
"America is a unique experience. While it is home for all who desire peace and prosperity, it is an awakening for others to the possibilities of positive change.
"Americans are a collective inheritance of cultural, ethnic and spiritual differences whose sum total epitomizes all that is good in the human experience.
"The key to America's strength is her shared differences. Her shared differences are what we applaud and celebrate. It is these differences that make us uniquely gifted, strong, and reflects the greatness of collaborative cohabitation. The common thread of The Whole of Humanity, is its multicultural diversity. Accordingly we proudly announce our theme."
http://www.mlkgrandeparade.org/