UC Cheerleaders welcomed back students and staff at Pleasant View Elementary School

Summer break may be over for students and staff in Williamsburg, but University of the Cumberlands Cheerleaders were on hand at Pleasant View Elementary School Friday morning to help ‘cheer’ up the students.

Cheerleaders created a ‘tunnel’ for students, staff and parents to walk through on their way into the building. 

Head Coach for the University of the Cumberlands’s Cheer and Dance Program RJ Conroy said the visit to the school was just the first of several visits in the area. 

“We, as an athletic department, really want to get the community involved as we are coming out of all the COVID stuff,” said Conroy. “We really want to try to engage the community and let the community know that we are there.” 

Conroy said there are other locations for the athletes to visit already lined up, but there are others that are still in the works. He said there are plans for the college students to visit more schools not just in Williamsburg but in Corbin and London as well. 

“It is really just to get the students excited for the day,” said Conroy. “Give them a little tunnel to run through and cheer them on as they walk through from either the bus or the parent drop-off into the school.”

Conroy said the cheer and dance program has several athletes who are education majors. He said their interaction with the students at Pleasant View helped them become more excited about their own classes and observation hours. 

“Coming out of COVID, this was the first time we were really able to engage with the community in a sense. Even though we were engaging with these students for about five seconds, just the ability to see the kids and how excited they were to be cheered on and see another group of people kind of helped the athletes,” he explained.

“It meant the world to me and our school community to have the University of the Cumberlands Cheerleaders visit,” said Pleasant View Elementary School Principal Bobby Gibbs. “To see the excitement and wonder on our students faces as they got off the bus or out of the car was an awesome sight.   We are so very appreciative of Coach Conroy and UC Cheer for taking the time to do something special for our school and community.”

Gibbs said that the visit made a positive impact on students, staff and parents. 

Michelle Helton, a fourth grade teacher at Pleasant View, said, “It meant a lot to our staff and students to have community support from the University of the Cumberlands Cheer Squad during this challenging time.”

One parent even asked school staff Monday morning, “What, no cheer squad today? Friday’s warm welcome left us wanting such a spirited welcome every day!”