On the back court of the NAHS gymnasium, Coach Dawson trains and critiques 31 young cheerleaders as they start their new dance “New and Improved.”  The team is very energetic and lighthearted, but they also demonstrate a great degree of discipline. The cheer team seems revived and reenergized by Ms. Chantel Dawson and her coaching style. The team does countless drills, continually working toward a rigorous level of conditioning to match that of the most serious sports teams at North Atlanta. The cheer team seems revived and reenergized by Dawson, who came to NAHS last spring, and she is credited with the improving status of the team.

“I am quite excited for this upcoming season. The girls have worked extremely hard and have improved tremendously within these past few months,” Dawson said.

Dawson has cheered all her life. Throughout her journey as a cheerleader she had inspiring coaches, who taught her cheerleading technique and important life lessons. Gathering inspiration from her past, Dawson now considers mentoring young people through cheerleading her life calling. To follow her dream, she acquired her bachelor’s degree in health education from Alabama State in in 2012. Dawson then received her master’s in health studies from the University of Alabama, while acting as a student teacher last May.

The cheer squad looks to Dawson for words of advice, “I always remind the girls that they are a representation of NAHS and to always carry themselves as classy and respectable young ladies,” she said. The motto she constantly tells the team around is “You won’t always get what you wish for. You get what you work for!”

Student Morgan Staten comments, “Coach Dawson is there to listen to the girls. She also always stresses to them to treat others as how you would like to be treated.”

Dawson said it is her goal to ensure that this year’s team is active and more involved in student life. The cheerleading team will be prominently featured at upcoming pep rallies. The first pep rally, held on August 28, featured several cheer routines from the varsity and junior varsity teams. The teams also cheered at the North Atlanta-Lovett scrimmage.

Dawson has also begun to use social media as a means of promoting the team. You can follow Dawson and the team on Instagram (@nahscheer_ ).

Though the team won several cheer awards last year, Dawson plans on expanding the cheer trophy showcase this year. Last year, the team’s most noteworthy was a third-place trophy at an APS cheer event.

In addition to Dawson, the team is also led by the cheer team captains. Daija Francis is captain of the varsity team and she is assisted by Maya Church. Taylor Breedlove is captain of the junior varsity team and is assisted by Tamia Harris and Taylor McIver.

So when attending a football game or a basketball game, every student should know that best of the best is cheering on the Warriors. The students on the cheer team are athletes who go through arduous training, stretching, and conditioning. Cheer team members say they hope everyone respects what they are trying to do. But, more than anything, the cheerleaders want to say, “Go Warriors!”