Students at Winslow inspired to start first unified cheerleading team

Addie Blackstone, center, along with fellow Winslow Varsity Cheerleaders mentor special needs students to bring Unified Cheer to their school’s sports program. Front row, from left, Addie Blackstone and Maya Veilleux. Second row, Paige Owen and Henry Olson. Visible in back row, Kennedy Dumond, Brooklynn Michaud, Addie Benavente, and Kylie Barron.

Text and photos
by Monica Charette

When a group of special needs students at Winslow High School expressed interest in being cheerleaders, senior Adeline “Addie” Blackstone decided to make it happen. With full backing by school administration, a commitment by 13 of her fellow Winslow varsity cheerleaders to be mentors, and financial support from the ShineOnCass Foundation, Coach Addie is now leading the school’s first Winslow Unified Cheer Team.

“I have such compassion for the students in the Unified community who don’t get the same opportunities that I do,” Blackstone said, sharing that she did some research, wrote a proposal, and presented her idea to start a unified cheer team to school.

Winslow High School Unified cheerleaders at practice after the school started its first unified cheer team. Spotting (left on the floor) Addie Benavente, Maya Veilleux, Jocelyn Lizzotte, Kylie McCafferty (top of formation), Nydia Alverado (faculty coach), Kennedy Dumond, spotter (right on the floor) Hayden Breton, with Coach Addie Blackstone (right front) cheering them on.

Unified sports combine students with and without intellectual disabilities to play on the same team to promote inclusion and acceptance. Multiple area high schools, as well as the Alfond Youth Community Center, have unified basketball teams that compete against each other. Thanks to Blackstone and the varsity cheerleaders, Winslow now has its first unified cheer team.

Blackstone received her school’s ShineOnCass Junior Service Award last year, along with a $100 gift by the Foundation to pay it forward. Blackstone said the honor inspired her to “go further” to spread kindness.

ShineOnCass Junior Service Awards are presented annually to service-focused students at Messalonskee, Waterville, Lawrence, and Winslow high schools in memory of Cassidy Charette. Charette, a Messalonskee junior who died in a hayride accident in 2014, was a longtime community volunteer and youth mentor.

“When I won the ShineOnCass Junior Service Award, I knew that this was exactly how I wanted to pay it forward – to honor Cassidy, and spread her light,” Blackstone said.

But there were a few things needed to get started, like uniforms for the 19 cheerleaders. Inspired by Addie’s volunteer work, the ShineOnCass Foundation provided additional funding so the team would have matching T-shirts to wear at all games.

Monica Charette, Cassidy’s mother and executive director for ShineOnCass, said Blackstone’s enthusiasm and spirit to give back to her school community inspired the Foundation to provide additional funding to start the program this year.

“I am so thankful for the support of my community and from ShineOnCass for helping me make this happen,” Blackstone said. “It’s gone far beyond what my dreams could ever have imagined. Getting to see how much the students love cheering and how much joy it’s spreading throughout the community is incredible to watch.”

Winslow students, as well as parents and other community members, are filling the bleachers at home games in support of both unified basketball players and the sport’s new cheerleaders.

Kelly Daignault, unified science teacher and the cheer team’s student advisor, notes the positive effect from partnerships between students and peer mentors.

“We are so fortunate to have caring students at Winslow High who want what is best for their peers,” Daignault said. “As a Unified Champion high school, our teachers work together to bring the philosophy of inclusion into the classroom and do whatever we can to support them.”

Debbie Michaud, whose daughter Brooklyn is a special needs student on the cheer team, says Brooklyn is most excited when she is cheering on her peers.

“Allowing Brooklyn to have the opportunity to cheer makes my heart so happy,” Michaud said. “Brooklyn has such joy, and this experience allows her to share that joy with everyone around her. When she is on the sideline cheering, she is a student like everyone else.”

For Brooklyn, it is just pure happiness being part of a team. “I love my cheer friends! And I get to wear a bow!”

A fundraising event for Winslow Unified Sports “Dine to Donate” will be held February 24 and 25 at Opa, on Main St., in Waterville, where 10 percent of all food sales will be donated to Winslow’s Unified basketball and cheer programs. Upcoming games are being held on February 13, at 3:30 p.m., at Winslow High School.