For the last 10 years, Mrs. Davis has been a massive part of the PowderPuff event where girls compete in flag football and boys cheer from the sidelines. Every fall, Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Robinson have worked together, but this year, Mrs. Davis has decided to step away from the PowderPuff tradition and give another teacher an opportunity to run it.
At the start of this year, members from the junior Student Government approached Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Robinson asking if they could take over responsibility for PowderPuff and use it to raise money for future events.
Over the years, Mrs. Davis has spent a lot of time perfecting the routines that the boys would perform, and takes it very seriously. The routines involved tossing boys into the air, teaching them how to accomplish a toe-touch, and how to hold up someone.
Mrs. Davis has made many memories during her time teaching the boys their half-time routines. On the first day of practice every year, she asked the boys to attempt a toe-touch, which is jumping into a straddle split. She is often met with blank stares. But that would often change after several practices. Mrs. Davis enjoyed teaching the boys something new and liked to see their progress throughout practices.
“It’s really cool to see boys who wouldn’t necessarily put themselves out there and do something like this, to try something new,” said Mrs. Davis.
The second reason for leaving PowderPuff, Davis provided, had to do with her pregnancy, as she is due this coming academic year. In previous years, she had been kicked in the stomach a few times while teaching the boys stunts for half time. “For my safety and my baby’s safety, that was a second part to it,” said Mrs. Davis.
The junior class has taken over PowderPuff as a fundraiser, as well as Mrs. Couch, one of the junior class advisors, who was a former cheer coach and has cheer experience.
Mrs. Davis is open to the idea of returning to teaching PowderPuff if ever needed in the future. “I’m not against it, I’ve always loved doing it and even if classes decide to keep it on as a fundraiser,” said Mrs. Davis. “I’m open to coaching the boys again because I really do enjoy it.” She still hopes that people participate in the event, or at least show up to watch, even though it’s different this year, the heart of the event is still there.
Students over the years have made many memories with Mrs. Davis, whether it be the highs and lows of preparing for PowderPuff. Morgan, sophomore, Brandon Avila-Hernandez, was a former cheerleader for PowderPuff his freshman year at Morgan. Brandon had a great time participating in PowderPuff led by Mrs. Davis, from making new friends to learning new things every practice.
“I remember how she taught us how to hold up someone,” said Brandon, “and I just couldn’t get the right leg movement, and she taught me how to do it, which was very fun for me.”
Even though Mrs. Davis won’t be instructing PowderPuff anymore, the memories and bonds that have been created will never be forgotten. Students who have participated in PowderPuff will always cherish these small, yet effective moments that made their day. “I will miss how Mrs. Davis yelled at us after a really long day, and how she really had an interest in making us look good … but it won’t be the same without her.” said Brandon.
Every year Mrs. Davis put together a performance that was new and different, which involved a new song and different choreography. These half-time routines that the boys performed were unique and special, something that everyone enjoyed watching. “It was a way to bring boys together from different backgrounds that was so enjoyed by the crowd.” Said Mrs. Robinson.
