When a student told Honesty Lewis they wished she would coach cheer at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School of Innovation, she realized this was her opportunity to make a meaningful impact on her community.
“If I had one word to describe what I love about cheer, it would be fire. I’m so passionate about cheer that sometimes it can make my head hurt,” she said. “I’ll want to randomly make up a dance, and I know it’s making my head hurt because it’s hard, but I’m so passionate about doing it. When I think about cheer, even though now I’m not in it, it still makes me happy and excited.”
A lifelong cheerleader who started at age three, Lewis now leads Roosevelt’s 31-member squad, shaping it into a program defined by strong academics, leadership development, and consistent competitive growth.
“I want every single class to graduate with an associate’s degree or a certification so they have something attached to their name before they go,” Lewis said. “My second thing is I want at least two people from every graduating class to be on a college cheer team.”
Under her guidance, the team placed seventh out of 61 teams at the 2025 UIL Spirit State Championships, earned three all-American titles, and took third at a district competition.
Membership on the Roosevelt squad also comes with a unique academic expectation: students must be enrolled in P-TECH or Career Institute South. The requirement supports Lewis’ belief that cheer should support a student’s long-term goals.
For Makalah G., academic and cheer success go hand in hand.
“I want to try to be top of my classes, that’s a priority,” she said. “As a team, I want to be top five or ten in the state. I also want to be known as a leader because that’s what I was born to be.”
Asia J., who has led the cheer squad for two years, credits Lewis for giving her students a chance to excel in both areas.
“ Some coaches don’t push their cheer team or give them big opportunities, but Coach Lewis makes sure that academically, we are in our right area,” she said.
As the program strengthens, opportunities continue to expand.
The team now regularly performs at community events, visits college campuses—including Xavier University of Louisiana, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Langston University, and Texas Southern University—and connects with university cheer programs.
“I love cheer,” said Janaeya M. “It’s a really great opportunity because not everyone gets the chance, or feels confident enough, to try. “People come to me all the time saying they’re nervous, and I love seeing them give it a shot.”
For Asia, Janaeya, and Makalah, the cheer squad at Roosevelt is a place where they’ve formed lasting friendships and grown as a team.
Together, they bring energy, encouragement, and school spirit to classrooms, hallways, and school events, lifting the entire Roosevelt community.
“I want to be remembered as someone who always kept myself up,” Janaeya said. “That I never failed a class or got kicked out of a program because I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to do. I want to be extraordinary. For cheer, I want to leave that I cared about my team.”
At Roosevelt, cheer is more than spirit. It is strength, leadership, and a foundation for lifelong success.
