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Date: 12/7/2021
LUDLOW – On Dec. 19, Ludlow High School’s cheerleading team will host its first-ever pancake breakfast with Santa.
As the new coach of the cheerleading team, Ludlow High School teacher Adelei Bernard said she wanted to get the team involved in the community.
“I am the new coach, so I am starting from scratch and trying to figure things out. This is one way to try to raise funds for our competition squad. I thought this would be really fun and include the community as well,” she said.
While Ludlow has not traditionally had a big breakfast with Santa event, Bernard said it was something she wanted to bring into the community from her town.
“I asked some of the teachers here at school if there was a big Santa breakfast that happens, and the couple I talked to said there was not anything like that. It’s a big deal in the town I live in, so I wanted to bring that to Ludlow,” she said.
Bernard said there are three different sittings at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and it costs $10 for adults, $5 for children and $25 for a family of four.
“They can just show up, but there is also an email if they want to email us. We want people to email or QR code if they can, but we would not turn anybody away for showing up unless it was super full, but I do not think it will be that full because this is the first time we are doing it,” she said.
The email to sign up for the breakfast is ludlowcheerleading@gmail.com.
Bernard said the breakfast should be a great community building exercise for the cheerleaders.
“The cheerleaders will be there with their families helping to flip pancakes, greet the kids and do little crafts. One of our core values here at Ludlow High School is community outreach and helping to build up our community, and I think this is a great way for them to do that,” she said.
Along with community building, Bernard said the event will give the cheerleaders the opportunity to serve as role models.
“We actually had a youth night here during football season and the kids’ faces were lit up, they were so happy because they look at them as role models, so they are really excited and happy to be a part of that. I thought this was another way for them to stand up as a role model for the community, their school and the little kids,” she said.
All the funds raised through the breakfast will go into helping the team pay for equipment.
“We need uniforms, we ordered some, but we need to get more. It also costs money for music and for the actual competitions. We need pompoms too, but I am not sure how much we will raise from that. Whatever fundraising we do will go toward each girl, so they will get a piece of that towards their uniform and the competitions,” she said.
Bernard said she is looking forward to the event.
“I have four kids myself, so the family side is amazing, I think it is really good for the girls to have this opportunity to be responsible but enjoy it and have a little bit of fun at the same time. I also have a retired veteran playing Santa, so I am excited about that too. And the pancakes are good too,” she said.