MAKING LAS VEGAS A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE

Liberty High School cheers for the Sparkle Squad

By Beth Fisher

CREATED Nov. 29, 2012

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  • The cheerleaders at Liberty High School have started a Sparkle squad for other kids with disabilities Video by ktnv.com

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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Cheerleaders are supposed to get the fans on their feet and a special squad from Liberty High School is doing just that. They're making Las Vegas a better place to live.

The Sparkle cheerleading team is made up of varsity cheerleaders and students with disabilities. One of those students is Samantha who told Action News, "It's my favorite team.  I practice.  I joined the cheerleading squad. We do the football things. We do teamwork."
 
Samantha says she's always dreamed of being a cheerleader and now she is getting the chance. Coach Erin Murray says, " The varsity coach and I were looking through a magazine and there was an article about Sparkle. We just looked at each other and thought, why not start that here?"
 
The Liberty Patriots are the first to bring a Sparkle team to Southern Nevada.  Something Captain Autumn-Raine is proud of. "I am a cheerleader but I'm also Sparkle captain. We incorporate varsity cheer so they feel in the spotlight for one performance."
 
What started as this one performance has now grown into several appearances because audiences LOVE them. And students love the opportunity to sparkle.
 
This is the first year for Sparkle but it's off to a great start. Cheerleaders who are coaching those with disabilities are learning these girls are more similar to them than different. And the disabled students are getting a confidence boost from the opportunity to be the star for just a few minutes.