Under the dazzling halftime lights, Sarah Westgate (12) and members of the cheer team run onto Davis field with shimmering gold pompoms in hand. The crowd cheers and hollers with radiant smiles. As soon as the music starts, Sarah gets in the zone. She immerses herself in the rhythm, and all else falls out of focus. By trusting her muscle memory, Sarah begins to execute the routine effortlessly as the song continues. Even in deep concentration, Sarah can still feel the crowd’s liveliness enveloping her, motivating her and her team to give it their all.

Sarah’s love for performing traces back to her experience in middle school choir. However, in eighth grade, the opportunity to join the cheer team drew her attention, forever altering her high school experience. 

“Cheer seemed like a really great way to get my PE credits done, meet some new people and just have a good time,” Sarah said. “I always thought the cheerleaders were cool when I was in kindergarten when they would come perform for Homecoming. So I tried out on a whim and it worked.”

The pandemic introduced an unexpected twist into Sarah’s first year of cheerleading as a freshman with quarantine and remote learning. Arranging customary traditions on Zoom, such as end-of-year parties, left a noticeable void in the expectations she had set before. Although Sarah and fellow frosh at the time occasionally gathered at the park for practice sessions or casual hangouts to lift spirits, these meet-ups paled in comparison to the bond the cheer team holds now. Despite these challenges, she persevered, and when the pandemic restrictions eased, sophomore year began. As the year progressed, the team gradually grew to eight members, and similarly, her circle of friends started to grow.

“Walking down the hallways, I have so many friends that I wave to, and all of my teammates are my friends,” Sarah said. “My favorite part is just how tight-knit of a community we are. It’s a great way to relax at the end of the day even though it is a sport. It’s also a really nice family environment that I feel welcome in, no matter how rough of a day I’ve had.”

However, sophomore season proved challenging, marked by the transition to an in-person environment and strained relations with an old coach. Even though a new coach brought much-needed relief the following year, the team had dwindled to just three members.

“Stunting and cheer requires four people for pretty much everything,” Sarah said. “We had to get really creative. We were often scouring the internet for any three-person stunting ideas. Of course, there’s only so many things you can do with three people, and performance-wise, it’s not as fun to perform with three people.”

By constantly reaching out to social media managers, Sarah expanded the team, increasing their numbers to eight by January of her junior year. Stepping into the role of captain in her senior year, she now leads a team of 19 cheerleaders onto the stage, showcasing her ability to overcome challenges.

“There have definitely been points where I have wanted to quit so many times, but I just didn’t let myself,” Sarah said. “A lot of people have asked me why I never quit cheer when there were three people or when I had that really rough season. It never really crossed my mind to actually seriously consider quitting because I had made a commitment and I wanted to stick it out for as long as possible.”

Cheerleading led Sarah to unlock her potential as a skilled performer but also led to her personal growth. It taught her to stay dedicated to her goals and to open up and extend a helping hand to others.

“Cheerleading forces you to come out of your shell a little bit,” Sarah said. “I’m a lot more outgoing than I used to be. I’m also more open to other people’s experiences, especially as a senior now. As the older person on the team, I’ve stepped into that role of giving people advice and helping people. All of my teammates are my friends at this point.”

Sarah’s knack for leadership and empathy garnered attention from her friends outside of the cheer team as well. Having met Sarah during remote learning as a new student at Harker, close friend Saloni Shah (12) recognizes Sarah as a dependable leader who always shows up for her team.

“The new freshmen in cheer definitely love having her as a captain because I’ve heard her talk about how she’s helping the cheer people with issues that they’re going through,” Saloni said. “She’s very compassionate and she’s a really good listener. Those are definitely two of her biggest strengths.”

Sarah’s reliability extends beyond her friendships in the cheer team. Another close friend, Serena Janny (12), notes that she can always count on her.

“Throughout the years when something’s gone wrong, she’s always been there,” Serena said. “She’s always a good person to rely on. She was always down to help me out. I don’t think that’s changed. She’s still a really sweet person.”

Cheerleading head coach, Chantell Rodriguez, admires Sarah’s dedication to self-improvement throughout the seasons. Since her first year on the team, Sarah matured to be much more confident in leading her teammates and approaching her coaches.

“She feels comfortable coming to me with different things,” Rodriguez said. “Sometimes she’ll just come by my office and go, ‘Hey Coach, how’s it going?’ Those little things are a big thing for me. She has a good attitude and brings positive energy to the team.”

Sarah’s impact extends beyond the world of cheerleading. Similar to how she joined cheer, Sarah left her first mark on the Living with Intent, Focus, and Enthusiasm Board towards the end of her sophomore year. Sarah wants to help encourage well-being throughout the Harker community.

“I’ve always found it really interesting and sad how Harker students are so focused on our academics that sometimes we forget to take care of ourselves,” Sarah said. “The LIFE Board is trying to help promote wellness among the student community, and that was just something that really resonated with me.”

As a member of the LIFE Board, Sarah founded the Jewish Affinity Group to support and celebrate the rich diversity of the student body and offer a safe space for anyone. Among Sarah’s many cherished moments with her affinity group, a Hanukkah party in 2023 when she played Gaga ball, a Jewish variant of dodgeball, stood out to her most. In addition to lively Jewish games and celebrations, Sarah also discovered new dimensions of her own identity and developed a deeper understanding of her heritage. Through this exploration, she gained a greater sense of self-awareness and cultural appreciation.

“It’s allowed me to think more about my Jewish identity than I used to,” Sarah said. “Outside of school, I do work at my synagogue over the weekends, but it’s never something I really thought about at school until I started the affinity group. But it’s really nice to just be able to hang out with people who share your culture.”

Sarah’s high school journey is marked by her growth into a confident leader through cheerleading, her enriched bond with her Jewish heritage via the LIFE Board and the meaningful connections she’s fostered within her communities. Despite the numerous accomplishments Sarah has achieved in high school, her highest value lies in leaving a positive mark on the student body.

“Obviously, with cheer, that’s been a huge thing,” Sarah said. “Even with the LIFE Board, we’ve grown a ton. I just want to be remembered as someone who was committed even when things were tough, stuck it out and left things better than I found them.”