A cheer squad of one: Nims' only cheerleader embodies Trojan spirit

Nims Middle School eighth-grader Tianiya Hall-Scales committed to being a cheerleader. She had never been part of a cheer squad before this year but decided to go out for the team on a whim.

But, the day of a recent cheer showcase at Chiles High, all of Hall-Scales' teammates decided to back out of the performance. It was just hours before showtime. Rather than quit along with her teammates, Hall-Scales got ready to take the stage. Alone.

She has a simple reason for remaining as a team of her own.

“Because I had already told people I was cheering," she said. "I wasn’t going to stop because nobody else wanted to show up.”

Hall-Scales' school spirit embodies what parents and educators associated with Nims would rather focus on. Nims is a Title 1 school located within walking distance of the Florida A&M University campus. More than three out of four students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The results in the classroom reflect the struggles teachers and administrators face daily. It has earned a "D" grade in student performance for the past two school years.

Getting students to participate in extra-curricular activities also can be difficult. The school usually has about seven to 15 students try out for the cheer program each year, according to Principal Desmond Cole. This year, there was Hall-Scales and three others.

“As of last week, we had four. We had a couple of drop-offs, and maybe some nervousness. It could be they didn’t want to cheer in front of 500 people,” Cole said.

Some of the other schools at the showcase had “at least” 25 members on their cheer teams. With no one to synchronize her movements, she said she improvises her dance for the crowd.

Hall-Scales’ said her godmother, a cheer coach at Tallahassee Community College, even came to the school to show her some “stunts” in preparation.

“It kind of came out of the blue, but when I told her I was going to be cheering (at the showcase) she said ‘Oh wow,’” Hall-scales said.

To a mix of Beyoncé songs, Hall-Scales took complete creative control of her routine.

Cole said he offered Hall-Scales words of encouragement – and reminded her she had the option not to perform if she didn’t want to. But backing out was never an option.

“She had friends and support out at Chiles, and she was ready. I didn’t see the nerves until after the performance when she said ‘Look how my hands are shaking.’” Cole said.

Though, Hall-Scales did say she felt the nerves when the reality set in that she was performing in front of so many people.

“I just looked at the wall, and I was kind of counting down in my head,” she said. “And I try to smile the whole time.”

Her performance, the bold show of confidence that it was, quickly got the community buzzing. At New Mount Zion AME Church, where Hall-Scales performs with the dance ministry, the pastor lauded her solo effort. In the days after her performance, Hall-Scales said, even people she didn’t know were congratulating her.

“They were like, ‘You did a good job, you have so much courage.’ One woman said that other kids are wimps and wouldn’t do what I just did.”

Hall-Scales was even surprised with a gift in the halls at Nims after the showcase – a bottle of perfume.

Nims has two cheer coaches, making it a program with twice the coaches as participants. Nonetheless, Vandie Joseph, who is also a science teacher, and Sandra Greer, who teaches language arts, cannot say enough about Hall-Scales’ resolve. She faithfully cheers at the Trojans' basketball games,

“With the one we have, it was a great experience because she showed her dedication and commitment. And we’re here every day trying to mold her into a successful cheerleader,” Greer said.

Joseph said Hall-Scales’ dedication in the classroom helped make her a student of the month at Nims in 2016.

“She’ll tell us, ‘Hey, we need to finish practice soon,’ so she can go to Boys and Girls Club and do her homework,” Joseph said.

“I feel like she has matured as a cheerleader, and as a leader in general," Joseph said. "If you look at her, from how she does in school to how she does after school with us, she’s just great all the time.”