![Walking through the tunnel created by the cheerleaders and Celebrities, senior Frances Tran smiles as the soccer team is sent off during DEN for their playoff game against Rouse tonight. Tran said the wins against Smithson Valley and Alamo Heights gave the team a morale boost to take on the Raiders tonight. “I know we were not 100% confident in those games,” Tran said. “But, Rouse is a big opponent for sure. We’re definitely going into tonight with a lot of morale [because of the previous wins].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/frances-tran.jpg)
![Holding a bucket of materials in one hand and a roll of tape in another, anatomy and biology teacher Tyler Terry prepares for a lab. Terry said his proudest moments are when his students are happy to see him. “When I take my wife to a football game or something and a bunch of students want to say hi to me or they like to smile and wave and it just makes me feel good that the students are really kind and supportive of me,” Terry said. “[I’m also] proud when I see students perform really well in their extracurriculars because I can see how hard they’re working in my classes, [so] when I see that they’re also working so hard in other things. Like they’re winning band competitions or they’re getting awards for their theater productions, or I see them put on their choir shows, that’s like, wow, you guys are incredible.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rags-6.png)
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901.jpg)
Dancing Without D
Celebs Move Forward After Losing Director of 17 Years
Music fades and applause fills the PAC at another performance from the Celebrities dance team. As the girls wait for the curtain to close, they hold their poses and look off to the side to see their director, Coach Stacy Danielson- one of the a pairs of clapping hands that matters most.
Danielson had been with the team for 17 years, and was referred to by the dancers as ‘the heart and soul of Celebrities.’ In June of 2016, Danielson was diagnosed with colon cancer. Throughout her chemotherapy, Danielson continued to attend every morning practice, show and football game. She battled her cancer for two years, but in late July, Danielson passed away in hospice care.
“It’s like those stereotypical heartbreak stories where once you lose somebody, your heart is missing a piece,” senior Celebrity Kate Klement said. “I never really believed in that until she died, and now I completely understand.”
There may be no moving on from the loss of their beloved coach, however the Celebs have been trying their best to move forward since July.
“We all know when it’s a hard day, and nobody hesitates to try to lift each others’ spirits up,” Klement said. “That’s what D loved the most about us.”
Poms up high, Celebrities officer Jenna McQueen lines of her dancers at the Vandy game on Aug. 31. This was the first time on the field since the passing of their dance director, Stacy Danielson. “It was definitely a very emotional time, when we circled up right before to do our team prayer,” McQueen said. “We all just had the same idea in mind, to make her proud.”
Apart from missing their coach during morning practices, football games and pep rallies, part of what makes this all so difficult is when little things remind the dancers of Danielson. Klement said it could be seeing the color blue, the color for colon cancer, or coming across deer, which Danielson notoriously loved to feed in her yard.
“The other night I was driving home and saw a deer,” Klement said. “I slammed on my breaks just completely in awe. It was like she was watching me to make sure I got home safe.”
The current line officers are the last who were chosen by Danielson. Celebs captain, senior Caiti Dodge, said that this pushes the officers to do everything in their power to keep their team strong.
“While our team will be struggling a lot emotionally, we just want to be the best cheerleaders for our girls and be the closest family we can be,” Dodge said.
Nikki Evans, the new the new Celebs director, said that over everything, she wants the girls to leave this year thankful for their experience on the team.
“[I am] just keeping in mind that these girls need love, they need support,” Evans said. “At the end of the day, the most important thing is that they are enjoying this experience- the friendships they are carrying on, the memories they are making, [and for the] seniors, the legacy they are leaving.”
Her shoes are completely impossible to fill, there is absolutely no way I can touch these girls in the same way that she did, — Nikki Evans, Celebs Director
Last year when Evans started on the team as the assistant director, she shared an office, and sometimes even a desk with Danielson. In just one year, Evans said that they became close friends who went out to dinner, walked their dogs and fed the deer in Danielson’s yard during their spare time. While Evans said that it is unlikely she will live up to the impact that Danielson made, she will definitely try.
“Her shoes are completely impossible to fill, there is absolutely no way I can touch these girls in the same way that she did,” Evans said. “She is such a special person to them, but as I move forward leading the team, I am trying really hard to just keep that standard that she would expect and would make her proud.”
Among the many reasons that people are missing Danielson, former Celebs manager senior Calissa Garbaccio said that what many remember her for was how important she made others feel. The last time Garbaccio talked to Danielson was before curtain call at Spring Show when she was debating on whether to bow with the other managers.
“Being the shy person I am, I didn’t want to go out on stage to bow because everyone would look at me and that’s too much attention,” Garbaccio said. “D came up next to me and grabbed my hand and pulled me on stage. I pulled back, not wanting to go, but she looked at me and told me in her hilarious, sassy voice, ‘I’m not going up there without you’ and I smiled and just walked on holding her hand.”
Looking back on her time on the team with Danielson, Klement said that she thanks her former coach for always being her biggest cheerleader.
“She was there for me when it felt like time couldn’t go by any slower, when I felt that I wasn’t good enough for people or for being on the team,” Klement said. “Every single time I needed guidance, knowledge or motivation, she did not hesitate.”
Throughout this year of Celebrities, there will be tears, there will be hugs and there will be plenty of high kicks. Evans said that no matter what it will take, they plan to become the best versions of themselves.
“I see a bright future for the team and I’m really excited,” Evans said. “I’m prepared and ready to make Stacy proud.”
Deana is a senior going into her fifth year of yearbook and second year as Editor-In-Chief of The Wolfpack newspaper. In her junior when she joined the paper, Deana found her passion in journalism and now plans to study it at UT Austin. She loves spending time writing long feature stories, editing articles and improving the look of the site in any way she can. Apart from the paper, Deana loves peanut butter and saving bugs from fatal catastrophe. She also loves making earrings and dying her hair fun colors. If you are looking for Deana, check Lab 7!
![Catching a ball, junior Alivia Robinson plays at the Cedar Park vs Glenn game. Having played since she was 5 years old, she is dedicated to softball and has committed to UTPB for softball. “When I got my offer it took me a very long time to decide where,” Robinson said. “Softball has always been my dream for college, and UTPB is my fit. When [I committed] I knew I was going to be loved and supported.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Lilly-Adams-3.13aliviaedit-901-600x400.jpg)
![Holding a bucket of materials in one hand and a roll of tape in another, anatomy and biology teacher Tyler Terry prepares for a lab. Terry said his proudest moments are when his students are happy to see him. “When I take my wife to a football game or something and a bunch of students want to say hi to me or they like to smile and wave and it just makes me feel good that the students are really kind and supportive of me,” Terry said. “[I’m also] proud when I see students perform really well in their extracurriculars because I can see how hard they’re working in my classes, [so] when I see that they’re also working so hard in other things. Like they’re winning band competitions or they’re getting awards for their theater productions, or I see them put on their choir shows, that’s like, wow, you guys are incredible.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rags-6-600x400.png)
