From learning to teaching. This Friday, the Sweethearts will have tiny dancers standing with them in the victory line.
The Little Sweethearts Clinic on Sept. 13 connected the Sweethearts to the young girls in the community who wish to one day become a Sweethearts themselves. Some of the students at the school were in this program as younger kids, and now are the ones helping them out and teaching them what it means to be a Sweetheart.
The clinic helps show the younger students in school what the sweethearts program is at the school.
“The Little Sweethearts Clinic is where kids from kindergarten to eighth grade can come and spend a day with the sweethearts,” junior Katie Cruz said. “They learn a little combination of dance we do when we perform and also learn school song and fight song.”
The Little Sweethearts Clinic can benefit students that aren’t just younger, but older too.
“I feel like it really helps with your social abilities,” junior Bella Moore said. “When talking to little kids you really need to listen to them and understand what they’re saying, so whenever you’re listening to little kids you’re just gaining that social and empathetic feeling.”
The older kids in the Little Sweethearts Clinic program are there because of some of their previous reasons for entering it when they were younger.
“I think it provides something to look up to whenever you get to high school,” sophomore Katelyn Heinz said. “My mom was really into the sweethearts stuff when I was a lot younger, and she really provided enough for me to do that.”
The clinic itself is meant to provide many opportunities for the older girls to benefit from themselves, especially when they wish to be a Sweetheart as a younger student.
“I believe it shows that I have a lot of dedication towards my team,” junior Brooke Dillard said. “It shows that we do care about these little kids and we love to do what we do and it sets it as a tradition as opposed to other clinics while also making me stronger and have better communication skills and know what it’s like to be a role model.”
“It was amazing I always looked up to the older girls and now I’m actually a Sweetheart,” sophomore Sophie Hazel said. “They were always so kind and just like inviting. It really just helps you teach and have patience.”
These girls wanted to continue their journey with the Sweethearts when they were older, and they finally have reached their younger selves goals.
“The reason I did it when I was younger was because I remember my sister talking about wanting to be a sweetheart,” Moore said. “I always wanted to follow in my sister’s footsteps, so I just really wanted to see what it was like.”
