Chapter 16: Maureen Delpilar
Maureen Delpilar is a junior at Pleasant Valley High School. For Pleasant Valley students who regularly attend sporting events, they will have seen her on the sidelines with the cheer squad cheering on the various teams. Delpilar is always bursting with Spartan Spirit on the sidelines, and she is always excited for the next season to begin. She has connected with so many friends and students at Pleasant Valley, despite the fact that she has not been in the district for long.
See, Delpilar didn’t get the chance to go to the junior high with the rest of her classmates. Instead of getting those two years to form friendships with her classmates, she was thrown into the swirling, chaotic mess people call high school. Instead of shying away from it all, she quickly became friends with many at Pleasant Valley. Maci Noack, senior, friend and teammate of Delpilar’s, always loves her company. She said, “She’s an amazing leader for the team. She works really hard at everything she does and always does it with a smile on her face. She’s a really fun person to be around and is always cracking jokes.”
However, sometimes for Delpilar, everything has not been so smooth; she has faced many hardships. Her sophomore year she suffered an ACL tear while cheering during a basketball game. After that, Maureen dealt with some problems regarding depression. However, Maureen overcame her problems and moved back to her happy and cheerful self. Delpilar also gave some insight on how to overcome the sadness and duration of a significant injury, “There’s gonna be days where you feel like you’re never gonna get back to where you were in the first place but always stay strong and you shouldn’t focus on the time that is being taken away because of your injury. Instead, focus on the positivity and the outcome that’ll come out of the injury once you’re recovered.”
It is clear to see that Delpilar’s optimism and positivity is easily contagious around Pleasant Valley. From her friends to her teammates, there is tremendous appreciation for Delpilar. She is looking forward to her senior year for cheer and the rest of Spartan Nation should be excited and happy to see Delpilar bring her smile to everyone.