The Pleasant Valley Sparkles Cheer team is celebrating their ten year anniversary in 2018. They were the very first all-inclusive cheer team and were the inspiration for the nationwide Sparkle Effect.
In 2008, Sarah Cronk created and coached the first inclusive cheer team right here at Pleasant Valley High School called the Sparkles. This team changed the lives of many students with and without disabilities.
The Sparkles Cheer team gave students of all abilities the opportunity to come together and cheer as a team. From the first performance in 2008 until now, the Sparkles showed major signs of success. They were able to share their story with some pretty big names on the local and national level.
A year after their establishment, the Sparkles were recognized on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as apart of “the most extraordinary people of 2009.” After the taping, Oprah Winfrey surprised the Sparkles with tickets to meet Miley Cyrus at her concert in which she invited them onstage for her song, “The Climb”.
The Sparkles were featured in People Magazine in 2016 as well. There was a documentary made on Turning Point in 2017 that took a closer look at The Sparkle Effect. This documentary interviewed parents and team members on Sparkles about their experiences on the team. To this day the Sparkles are still receiving awards and recognition. Last year, the Sparkles were awarded the “Most Inclusive Award” from the Varsity Brand.
Current Sparkles captain, Maddy Licea, spoke about how Sparkles includes everyone on the team no matter their ability. “I love how we are all integrated as one group. It’s not like the cheerleaders are over here and the sparkles are over there.” The Sparkles have been a role model team for The Sparkle Effect, for students with all abilities are encouraged to join the team.
The Sparkle Effect is growing and expanding all across the country. As stated in The Sparkle Effect documentary, Cronk hopes there will be a day where The Sparkle Effect won’t have to exist. Rather, including everyone in all activities will be a norm. This program has already accomplished so much and to know it started at PV is something worth celebrating.
