When entering Gables her freshman year, senior Deja Stephens noticed there was a lack of African American females involved in extracurricular activities.
“I saw that as a problem. At that time our school didn’t have a black history class or club to get the African American population united.”
This is where her dream of creating a step team for the school came about. After persistent effort and last year’s rejection serving as an even greater motivation to push on, “Sistas With Attitude” was officially labeled a club as of this year.
“Step is a type of dance drawn from African roots. Although, I must add that S.W.A. is not just for African Americans, we love having diversity on the team. As a team we are very close to each other. We are always here to encourage each other to fulfill our goals. Although all of us are smart and classy we do have a little sassiness to us and I think that’s what brings personality to our team. We all have our own attitude and we embrace it,” Stephens said.
S.W.A will be seen throughout the year stepping their way not only in our pep rallies but at our football and basketball games too.
To be a part of the team certain requirements need to be met. The girls need to maintain their 2.0 GPA, they must be a lady at all times, and they must not have any suspensions or a significant amount of tardies. The founders of S.W.A are particular about who joins their team because they want to maintain their high reputation and the feeling of sisterhood it brings.
“Although I’m a performer and I love to perform what I love most is the sisterhood that this team brings. We have an unbreakable bond through our ups and downs,” said junior Winny Delcine.
A.P. United States History teacher, Ms. Porsha Smith, is proud to sponsor this group of girls who pushed for what they believed in.
“I like the girls, they’re not just about stepping. They’re about academics, community service, and being socially aware. I like what they stand for. It’s about the bigger picture,” Ms. Smith said
Tryouts were held on September 27, 28, and October 2nd. They consisted of three consecutive days because the girls were taught a step and a dance routine they had to remember. Out of the twenty-five girls who were originally interested, four made the team.
“The school’s not going to see what’s coming in our next performance when we finally reveal our four fabulous new members. They are some very talented, dedicated, amazing females and I feel so honored to call them my new S.W.A sisters,” Stephens concluded.
