By Jose Herrera
Signal Staff Writer
Castaic High School opened its doors two years ago and since then it has cultivated the minds and spirit of its approximately 1,000 students. With the school being young, the cheerleaders on campus are trying to build a culture of school spirit, one rally at a time.
On a bright and breezy Saturday afternoon, the Castaic Coyotes cheer team welcomed community members on campus for their inaugural bike and car show. The fundraiser featured a live DJ from M Entertainment Group, vendors and classic cars and motorcycles for the community to enjoy.
“We are a brand-new school and we are a brand-new booster,” said Angela Zaidman, Coyote cheer booster club president. “We are building a plan so that we can help our girls who cannot afford to be a cheerleader, give them scholarships as well as providing our existing cheerleaders a banquet.”
She added that the money raised will also help their cheer team with gear, uniforms and traveling expenses. Castaic High has a freshman and junior varsity team, and next year they will have their first varsity team.
“Our cheerleaders, girls and boys or whoever would like to be part of our cheer team, promote school spirits and support our teams,” Zaidman said. “We’re here to support all the sports teams because we’re here to rally them and show school spirit.”
Junior Izabella Voggio is one of three cheer captains. She joined the cheer team during her first year at Castaic high after friends encouraged her.
“I’m making sure my team stays focused, so we can accomplish our goals,” Voggio said. “If we’re out of sync, then the entire team is out of sync. I just make sure that my girls are prepared and ready to give it their all.”
She added that cheer has made her more confident and it has enabled her to experience fun moments.
“I’m glad that it’s (being a cheerleader) pushed me to get out of my bubble,” Voggio said. “I’ve been able to create high school memories that I can look back.”
She loves her team and knows that they’ll accomplish great things. She also said she’s excited for her final year as a varsity team member because her team is a hardworking group.
Harlie Monroe, the assistant cheer coach, said she has seen growth in the girls throughout the past two years. The program may be fairly new, but the girls built up their skills and team, she added.
“Cheer is everything,” Monroe said. “This high school is new in general. Not a lot of students know what it means to have high school spirit yet, but it’s growing within the school and our cheerleaders definitely help with that.”
