Rams Cheer Squad Full of Spirit and Suds

The West Hempstead High School cheerleaders traded in their poms poms on Sept. 3 for sponges as they spent several hours scrubbing cars.

Filed with school spirit - and soap suds - the girls still had smiles on their faces as they worked their way through the lines of vehicles that formed outside the school throughout the morning and afternoon.

The car wash raised funds that will go toward football and cheerleading scholarships for West Hempstead seniors, the end of the season dinners, and providing financial assistance to local athletes in need - all through the West Hempstead Football Parents Club.

Cheer coach Rosemary Zuluaga was pleased with the number of cars that pulled up even though the event was not widely publicized.

"Our community is small but very supportive. It rallies around the schools," she said, adding that many also support the teams through the Booster Club.

Zuluaga said that she is also very grateful that the school itself takes cheerleading seriously, allocating a significant amount of funds to the team. She acknowledged that this is not the case at many schools.

"We just got a new tumbling mat," she said, thanks to Athletic Director Chris Mistretta. "He has really taken us under his wing."

You can still support the cheerleaders and football teams by purchasing raffle tickets, Rams T-Shirts and other fan gear through the West Hempstead Football Parents Club at homecoming on Oct. 22.