School district honors cheerleading stars | Community - Nogales International

March 29, 2019 at 10:05PM

Outstanding student-athletes and their coach, all members of cheerleading programs at Nogales schools, were honored by the Nogales Unified School District this week.

Johanna Simpson of Wade Carpenter Middle School was joined by four generations of family as she was recognized at Monday's school board meeting for her academic and athletic achievements, which include being named the Arizona 2019 Middle School Solo State Cheer Champion.

Simpson's great-grandmother Magda Parra, grandmother Alma Lopez, mother Johanna Lopez and siblings Dominique and Estevon beamed with pride as Superintendent Fernando Parra read off a long list of Simpson's accomplishments.

Parra also honored the entire Nogales High School cheerleading squad, which took first place at the 2019 USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim, Calif. after winning the Arizona Interscholastic Association state championship and the Arizona Cheer Championship earlier in February. And he selected their coach, Carolyn Hernandez, as the recipient of the Superintendent's Outstanding Teacher award.

School board member Marcelino Varona, Jr. noted that "Shortcake," as Hernandez is known, has served NUSD for 40 years, starting as a physical education teacher and beginning her coaching career in a variety of sports in 1979. In 2011 she was recognized as the National Coach of the Year.

Parra called Hernandez "exceptional," not only because of the awards and championships her squads have earned, but also for the academic accomplishments of her students. The average grade point average (GPA) of NHS cheer team members is a 3.4 on a four-point scale.

Parra noted that it will be extremely difficult to replace Hernandez, who is retiring at the end of the school year, due to her ability to positively influence her students in all aspects of their lives.

The ceremony included the presence of four sets of mother-daughters who had all been on the cheerleading squad under Hernandez's guidance: Dominique Zuniga and her mother Mayra Zuniga; Daniela Carosilva and her mother Erica Carosilva; Camille Hecht and her mother Bania Hecht; and Hailey Orozco Bacon and her mother Abby Orozco Bacon.

(From a news release submitted by Kathy Scott of the Nogales Unified School District.)

Outstanding student-athletes and their coach, all members of cheerleading programs at Nogales schools, were honored by the Nogales Unified School District this week.

Johanna Simpson of Wade Carpenter Middle School was joined by four generations of family as she was recognized at Monday's school board meeting for her academic and athletic achievements, which include being named the Arizona 2019 Middle School Solo State Cheer Champion.

Simpson's great-grandmother Magda Parra, grandmother Alma Lopez, mother Johanna Lopez and siblings Dominique and Estevon beamed with pride as Superintendent Fernando Parra read off a long list of Simpson's accomplishments.

Parra also honored the entire Nogales High School cheerleading squad, which took first place at the 2019 USA Spirit Nationals in Anaheim, Calif. after winning the Arizona Interscholastic Association state championship and the Arizona Cheer Championship earlier in February. And he selected their coach, Carolyn Hernandez, as the recipient of the Superintendent's Outstanding Teacher award.

School board member Marcelino Varona, Jr. noted that "Shortcake," as Hernandez is known, has served NUSD for 40 years, starting as a physical education teacher and beginning her coaching career in a variety of sports in 1979. In 2011 she was recognized as the National Coach of the Year.

Parra called Hernandez "exceptional," not only because of the awards and championships her squads have earned, but also for the academic accomplishments of her students. The average grade point average (GPA) of NHS cheer team members is a 3.4 on a four-point scale.

Parra noted that it will be extremely difficult to replace Hernandez, who is retiring at the end of the school year, due to her ability to positively influence her students in all aspects of their lives.

The ceremony included the presence of four sets of mother-daughters who had all been on the cheerleading squad under Hernandez's guidance: Dominique Zuniga and her mother Mayra Zuniga; Daniela Carosilva and her mother Erica Carosilva; Camille Hecht and her mother Bania Hecht; and Hailey Orozco Bacon and her mother Abby Orozco Bacon.

(From a news release submitted by Kathy Scott of the Nogales Unified School District.)

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