0613 Faces of Homewood Star Spangled Girls
Pictured are Star Spangled Girl lieutenant Caroline Harris, captain Courtenay Pyburn and lieutenant Carmen Chappell.
The Star Spangled Girls are not just a group of dancers. They are a symbol of the community, and have been since Homewood High School opened.
“It’s an honor to be known as a Star Spangled Girl,” senior Caroline Harris said. “All the little girls look up to you.”
The team of 29 sophomores, juniors and seniors performs dance routines at half time shows, pep rallies, parades, contests, dance camps, kids’ clinics, and any other performances the marching band schedules.
Their biggest showcase of the upcoming year will be in January at the Rose Bowl Parade.
Being a Star Spangled Girl involves more than just entertaining an audience though. The girls are representatives of the community, and they know that comes with a lot of responsibility.
“They are part of a big tradition that has been here since the beginning,” choreographer Jennifer Ayers said. “We expect the girls to be leaders and role models for their community and their peers.”
This sense of leadership was instilled in Ayers when she herself was a Star Spangled Girl at HHS. She was trained by Cindy Wade, who retired from the position 16 years ago and called up Ayers to take her place. The two are the only choreographers to have led the girls over the past 41 years.
And much has stayed the same over that time. Their uniforms are similar to the original ones, and much about their field show routine is similar to what Star Spangled Girls of the past remember and pride themselves in.
