This football and basketball season, the MHS cheerleaders have a new woman leading the charge for this year, Raeann Southern. She has a background in cheer and dance, and was a Spirit Line coach in Goodyear, Arizona. Southern has earned a dual degree at Northern Arizona University for elementary and special education. Before coming to McPherson, Southern lived and taught at Irving Elementary in Windom. “I was ecstatic! It was the cherry on top of a good day, I was so excited to start coaching again.”

  If there is any reason for Southern to be nervous she hasn’t found it. When asked if she was nervous she replied, “Not one bit! I have a GREAT group of girls and they are very hungry to try new things and push their limits.”

  She also commented on how excited she is to see the student body and how involved they are. With last year seniors gone, curiosity arose about having a strong team this year. Southern reassuringly responded, “At tryouts, one of the judges who is a college cheer coach told me that the amount of talent that we have is ridiculous, and he was right. We have four very strong seniors, and this team is one of the most physically strong that I think I’ve ever coached.” Southern absolutely believes that they have a strong team this year.

  “They are so great that they are even pushing me to work harder as the coach to keep up with their drive and new ideas, which is wonderful!” she said.

  As far as overall concerns go, Southern says she doesn’t have any so far. The cheerleaders are starting new traditions and lots of new things, and Southern is mostly excited to see how everything plays out. Coach Southern also has no doubt that by the end of the season they will be amazed by how much progress they will make.