UDA.com - Universal Dance AssociationASSA 2011 Winner

And our 2011 American School Spirit Award Winner is...............

Pleasant Valley High School- Bettendorf, IA

Coaches: Kim Munn & Katie Rokusek

Number of Team Members: 16

Team GPA: 3.79

Team Mission Statement: Pleasant Valley Platinum has made it a priority to promote school spirit within ALL athletic programs at our high school as well as creating a sense of community with all athletes and non-athletes alike. We move beyond school boundaries, spreading Spartan Spirit throughout our community both through fundraisers with a societal focus as well as service activities we feel passionate about. While immersed in our goal of promoting school spirit, we strive for the highest level of achievement in our sport, academic endeavors, and other extra-curricular activities, allowing each member of our dance team to become a well rounded individual.

What the team had to say about their coach:

Our coaches are hard-working sisters who developed our dance team while completing college degrees, working full-time, and starting families. They encourage us to be physically, mentally, and emotionally strong by making practice a place where everyone feels like they matter. They inspire us to perform at our peak levels.

Team Awards & Honors

- 2011 Iowa State Dance Champions in Jazz
- UDA All-Americans
- 1st Place & Superior rating in home routine at UDA Camp
- Drill Down Award Winner at UDA Camp
- Team Leadership Award Winner at UDA Camp
- UDA National Semi-finalist team
- Mississippi Athletic Conference All Academic Team
- Over half the team in AP Classes
- 44% of the team has 4.0 GPA
- 80% of the team consistently makes honor roll

Involvement in School & Spirit Raising Activities

- The PV Platinum dancers perform at all pep rallies and during every half time show of home football and basketball games.

- The team also performs at the "Welcome to High School Assembly" for Freshman on the first day of school.

-The team wants to make sure that they show support for every athletic team in the school. To do this they attended baseball and softball games as a team over the summer to cheer on their peers, decorated the lockers of every football player (pictured right), delivered hand written notes to members of the women's swim team before their state meet, made halloween candy bags for each volleyball player before their state play-offs, and made 'spirit-grams' for the cheerleading, golf, & cross country teams wishing them good luck as they competed for state championships.

-For homecoming, the team wanted to find a way to help students feel included in one of the largest events of the year. They organized a flash mob (pictured left) for the homecoming pep rally, and it was the perfect way to bring students together. The dance was such a huge hit that they were asked to perform it again at another pep rally. Check out a video of the flash mob.

Community Service

-The Pleasant Valley Dance Team helped raise spirit by raising support. When the infant son of one of their high school teachers was born with a heart defect and needed surgery, the team jumped into action. They held an auction to help his family with travel and medical expenses.

-The team also paired up with the cheerleaders and football players to give a Total Effort (pictured right) for an alumni of their school. Together they raised funds for Brett Greenwood, a former PV student & Iowa Hawkeye football player, whose heart stopped beating during a workout on the football field that resulted in a serious brain injury.

-The team also volunteered on a regular basis at the Lydia Home, a faith based organization that assists in strengthening families to care for children and caring for children when families are unable. The PV dancers assisted in cookouts at the home and helped work Bix 7, where they manned water stations and cheered on runners.

- One of the most amazing PV Dance Team accomplishments is the success with their Thrivent Night Raffle for the Special Olympics. The team helped raise $15,540 for Special Olympics.

-The team noticed that many students who stay after school do not have easy access to after school snacks. So the team began taking turns pushing a cart full of healthy snacks through the hallways as school is ending, filling up empty stomachs of students who are getting ready for a hard practice.

Above & Beyond

-A highlight of their year has been forming an all inclusive dance team at Pleasant Valley called the Shining Stars. The Shining Stars Dance Team is made up of 11 girls ranging in age from 10-18 with cognitive and physical disabilities. Their all inclusive dance team is the 50th team within The Sparkle Effect and the 1st high school dance team.

The Platinum dancers work with the Shining Stars and teach them dances at team practices. The Shining Stars perform for parents and the student body at basketball games, and plan to have their first performances in the community next season at the Thrivent Night at the Ballpark event.

As you can see, the Pleasant Valley High School Varsity Dance Team is an extremely well rounded team. This article just hit on a few of the many accomplishments that were included in their application. The team excels in performances, academics, and leadership and they are committed to raising spirit within their school and giving back to their community.

Congratulations again to the 2011 American School Spirit Award Winner, Pleasant Valley High School!
Also, be sure to check out some of the other great submissions that were named the 2011 Judge's Favorites!