Wewa trio to parade at Pearl Harbor
Three varsity cheerleaders from Wewahitchka High School will be among more than 600 high school cheerleaders and dancers from across the country that will represent the camp brands of Varsity Spirit in the Varsity Spirit Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade in Honolulu, Hawaii from Dec. 4 through 8.
Eva Flowers, Ashley Thompson and Jailyn Williams were invited to perform as part of a select group of cheerleaders and dancers chosen as All-Americans during Varsity Spirit summer camps across the country. All-Americans are selected via tryout based on either superior cheerleading or dance skills at camps operated by Universal Cheerleaders Association, Universal Dance Association, National Cheerleaders Association, National Dance Alliance, United Spirit Association or Urban Cheerleading Experience. Only the top 10 percent of the cheerleaders and dancers from Varsity Spirit camps earn the chance to march in a holiday parade of this caliber.
The young women will perform with the Varsity Spirit All-Americans in an exclusive performance prior to the opening ceremony of the parade and then be a part of the parade before thousands of fans lining the streets of Waikiki Beach. This trip marks the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The parade theme, “remembering the past and celebrating our future,” honors veterans and their families while recognizing that once bitter enemies can become loyal friends and allies.
Besides being able to perform for national heroes, these three athletes will have the opportunity to meet cheerleaders and dancers from across that nation and enjoy a memorable trip to the Pearl Harbor Memorial and the USS Missouri Battleship.
The Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade Committee has been commissioned to organize the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, commemorating the anniversary of the invasion of Pearl Harbor each year on Dec. 7. The Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade is proclaimed by the Mayor of Honolulu as the “Official Public Event Marking the Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor.”
For more information about the Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade visit www.pearlharborparade.org.
Meet the Editor
Wendy Weitzel, The Star’s digital editor, joined the news outlet in August 2021, as a reporter covering primarily Gulf County.
Prior to then, she interned for Oklahoma-based news wire service Gaylord News and for Oklahoma City-based online newspaper NonDoc.com during her four years at the University of Oklahoma, from which she graduated in May with degrees in online journalism and political science.
While at OU, Weitzel was selected as Carnegie-Knight News21 Investigative Fellow among 30 top journalism students from around the country. She also was senior editor managing a 12-person newsroom in coordination with Oklahoma Watch, a non-profit news organization in eastern Oklahoma.