Wonder who that new team on the sidelines is? It’s our new Song Spirit Leader team!
“I would describe Song as something very similar to a college dance team,” said Ella Garza, a COMPASS senior and one of the Song captains.
But, what is the difference between Song and Cheer? Garza said, “The cheer team can stunt and tumble, while the song team focuses on dance and dance based technical skills.” Since Song is more dance based, all of the girls on the Song team are part of our dance team as well though not all of the dance girls are on the Song team.
The idea behind this new addition is that it will make our Spirit teams “more comprehensive and competitive,” according to Spirit Advisor Mrs. Grundhauser, “Now we can join the Spirit Program Game Day division and compete against other Spirit teams and mascots.”
You’ve probably seen them performing at our Football games and at Pep Rallies, and throughout the year they will be performing at other school events, as well.
Make sure to support our Song team by cheering them on at all events you’ll see them at this school year and if you’re interested in joining look out on their Instagram for any news on tryouts!
Olivia Wu • Oct 14, 2025 at 1:36 pm
I really appreciated this article because as someone who is on the Song team there have been so many times people have asked me “What’s the difference between Song and Cheer?” or “What’s the difference between Dance and Song?” I definitely agree with Ella’s description that the differences between Song and Cheer come down to “[Cheers] stunt[ing] and tumbl[ing], while the song team focuses on dance and dance based technical skills.” The differences in structure between the two groups definitely separates the teams but also highlights our strengths. While the Cheer team doesn’t have a huge performing nor dancing background, the Song team don’t have a strong background in stunting and tumbling, but when put next to each other, our strengths can really shine.
I do admire Croff’s focus on explaining the differences between Song and Cheer but I also think touching on the differences between Song and dance is just as important. Described in the simplest way, dance is a much looser art while Song has more of a structure to it. Dancing has never been just one thing. Dance is a form of art that is expressed through a large variety of styles and cultures with no right or wrong answer. With Song, while some may define it as a style of dance, it is much more militant and sharp. Song also has styles within it including Jazz and Pom. “Song Jazz” is different from “Dance Jazz” mostly because of the way you initiate/attack choreo. In Song your movement is always sharp, clean and very technical based, while in dance, jazz can be much more stylized and groovy. In Song there is also a style called Pom. The idea of Pom is clear pictures and being in sync. Every time you hit a move you want to think someone can take a picture of the group and everyone is in the same position hitting the same exact shape. The variation between movement is the primary difference between Song and Dance, and hopefully clears up any confusion as to what the Song team really is.
While this is the first year of the Song team it has been such a blessing to be a part of it. I love all the support it is getting from the school and I hope more and more people find themselves wanting to join. I’m the co-junior captain with Eva Maldonado and it has been so much fun experiencing a new team and leading alongside the co-senior captains Ella Garza and Sam Homiakof. I love the exposure the team is getting including articles like these and I can’t wait to see how this team grows over the years!
Caius Moore • Oct 14, 2025 at 9:51 am
October 14, 2025
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 9, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Millikan Song”. I found this article to be very well-written; it reveals parts about the new Song team that many Millikan students are unfamiliar with. With this new spirit team, many students are unaware of the amount of work the team puts in, and some are even ignorant of the team’s purpose. I found the direct quotes from both the team’s director and captain quite necessary and engaging, as they connect the reader to real students and staff from the school.
Although the topic of the article is well-explained, delving further into the opinions of other Song members, rather than just the captain team, and how they feel as the school year progresses, may help enhance the article even more. Additionally, extending the article to make the read longer and more in-depth could add to the credibility of the Article. Diving deeper into how the Song team practices, the members of the team, and the director may make the article more personal.
I found this article to be very informative on the topic of the new Song spirit team. It reveals aspects of the team that have not been seen previously by students. Although it could be extended, it is very helpful in informing the general school community about the new, and very hard-working Song team.
Sincerely,
Caius Moore
Aubrie Jones • Oct 14, 2025 at 9:50 am
I recently read this piece while exploring the recently published articles, and Emma’s work really caught my eye. Croff added quotes from the dancers which gives us the girls perspective on how Millikan Song really is. One of the team captains, Ella Garza says, “I would describe Song as something very similar to a college dance team” which can be put into simpler terms if someone didn’t know what song really was. She also described the differences between song and cheer, saying, “The cheer team can stunt and tumble, while the song team focuses on dance and dance based technical skills.” I like how that is implemented into the article since people may not know the difference between song and cheer, but now they do.
I also admire how Emma introduces the song team with a question by saying, “Wonder who that new team on the sidelines is?” It makes us curious readers want to read more about it, and also find out who this new dance team is. Croff also adds a quote from the Spirit Advisor, Mrs. Grundhauser, who says that the idea behind the creation of the song team and that it’s to make our Spirit teams “more comprehensive and competitive.” This creation of the new team also enables us to join the Spirit Game Day Division which allows us to compete against other schools.
Although I liked the piece, I wished it would have been longer by adding more details about who is on the dance team and more quotes not just from the captain, but from the other people involved as well such as the coach(es) and the other team members. I also suggest that Croff shouldn’t have said “all of the girls on the Song team are part of a dance team as well…” if they’re not, but instead say, “most girls on the Song team are a part of the dance team as well…”
Sincerely,
Aubrie Jones
Sadie Albert • Oct 14, 2025 at 9:44 am
I recently read this article while exploring the Corydon and feel as though I must praise the writer. Croff does a very nice job at getting quotes from informed people and incorporating them into her article. She uses the perfect length quotes to keep her audience engaged but still ensuring that the quotes answer her question and get her point across. She also does a great job at explaining who these quotes are coming from, establishing a strong credibility and enticing her audience to believe what she is saying.
To add on, I think this is an important topic to be discussing. This is a subject that I have been very curious about and this was a very nice article to introduce the team. This is a team that is brand new to Millikan and should be discussed more. As a first year team, I’m sure they have gone through some hardships trying to navigate how to be a Song team. I would love to hear more about this topic and some of their struggles.
While I think the article is great, I would love to see a follow up article that goes more in depth with the team and answers some follow up questions. I would love to hear about a day in the life of these Song dancers as they also do competitive dance. What are their practices like and do their dance and song schedules overlap? In addition I am very curious about how our Spirit teams compete against other schools. How do the competitions work? Have they already had competitions?
Ivy Estrada • Oct 13, 2025 at 1:52 pm
As someone who has been to every football game, I have also personally seen this team perform alongside cheerleading for the crowd. Performing in pep rallies with these teams has really brought the student section and audience of students everywhere at Millikan to life when watching. We are the backtracks to their fun dance, which are really cool to watch in the stands at football games. I think it’s great that the Millikan dance team can also have a showcase on the sidelines in addition to their assembly performance at the end of the school year.
I also suggest bringing up more about the competition details for the student athletes and where people at Millikan can go to support more performances. A lot of performing arts groups at Millikan don’t necessarily show off all their skills at rallies/football games. Competitions are what most of these performers work the hardest towards, which would be great to also highlight.
I would also love to see this editor include more articles on Corydon, highlighting other performing arts programs at Millikan, such as the Marching band, concert groups (orchestra), colorguard, and theatre! They would also benefit greatly from getting more representation to fundraise.
Ivy Estrada • Oct 13, 2025 at 1:48 pm
October 13, 2025
Dear Corydon Editor,
On October 9, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Millikan Song”. As someone who has been to every football game, I have also personally seen this team perform alongside cheerleading for the crowd. Performing in pep rallies with these teams has really brought the student section and audience of students everywhere at Millikan to life when watching. We are the backtrack to their fun dances, which are really cool to watch in the stands at football games. I think it’s great that the Millikan dance team can also have a showcase on the sidelines in addition to their assembly performance at the end of the school year.
I also suggest bringing up more about the competition details for the student athletes and where people at Millikan can go to support more performances. A lot of performing arts groups at Millikan don’t necessarily show off all their skills at rallies/football games. Competitions are what most of these performers work the hardest towards, which would be great to also highlight.
I would also love to see this editor include more articles on Corydon, highlighting other performing arts programs at Millikan, such as the Marching band, concert groups (orchestra), colorguard, and theatre! They would also benefit greatly from getting more representation to fundraise.
Sincerely,
Ivy Estrada
Brooke • Oct 13, 2025 at 1:46 pm
On October 9, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Millikan Song”. This article was fascinating to read. During the football games, I have always seen the team dance, but I never realized that the people dancing are known as the Song Spirit Leader team. Reading this article really shocked me because I gained more information about Millikan that I never knew before. It was nice learning something new about such a huge part of the Millikan spirit.
I like how you included the difference between Song and Cheer. Especially because I always believed that it was only the cheerleading team. Using a quote from Song captain, Ella Garza, was a special way to emphasize the difference between the two; it also highlights a leader of the Song team. I appreciate that you added photos of the Song team, so the dancers on the team can be acknowledged for their performance.
I suggest adding photos of the leaders on the Song team and writing about their background, to give them recognition and to overall enhance your article. By shouting out the leaders on the team, you can help others understand who is a part of the team. Also, the dancers may feel more appreciated if you ask about their background and why they joined the team, so that it may encourage others to join and learn more about the Song Spirit Leader team.
Sydney McCarty • Oct 13, 2025 at 11:40 am
On October 9, 2025, Emma Croff wrote an article titled “Millikan Song”. This piece on our new team at Millikan was very insightful; I would call it “short and sweet”. It was informative as it cleared the many questions circling the air and it gave a strong base and introduction to what the team is. This article also includes positive feedback which shows your support.
As one of the girls on the team I would like to thank you for taking time to write an article on Song as it advertises and makes us more known to the school. We love supporting and lifting school spirit at the events and games. This is the first year of Millikan having a Song team and thanks to your article we can possibly grow the team in the years to come.
Again, this article is greatly appreciated; the positivity is very helpful and encouraging as well as insightful. The direct quotes from girls on the team makes this piece all the more reliable. Thank you for informing others on who we are as part of Millikan and I hope to see more articles throughout the year following our journey.
Mary Lou Hall • Oct 10, 2025 at 12:30 pm
Way to go, Daisey! Go Rams!