On March 15, NDB hosted its annual Celebration of Spirit in the Moore Pavilion. This much-anticipated event was held for middle school students to showcase the cheerleading performances that they have been working on all year.

This year’s Celebration of Spirit welcomed cheer teams from around the Bay Area, including St. Charles School, St. Catherine School, St. Gregory School and St. Timothy School. Each team performed two routines: a dance and a cheer in order to showcase both their crowd-leading and performing skills. After a long performance, it was clear that there had been hard work and time dedicated to perfecting each routine.

In the dance portion of the competition, St. Catherine School emerged triumphant, earning a first-place trophy, with St. Charles and St. Gregory close behind. In the cheer segment, St. Timothy School clinched a first-place win, St. Robert took home second, and St. Gregory took home another third-place trophy in cheer. Beyond the scores, the team and fans from St. Catherine’s demonstrated unwavering support and encouragement for their fellow cheerleaders which was recognized as they took home the Sportsmanship Award, highlighting the spirit of sisterhood that defines this event.

The Celebration of Spirit served not only as a way for the middle school teams to perform their routines, but also to give the NDB Spirit Team an opportunity to perform their own competition routine one last time. This routine, the same one performed in this year’s national competition, was executed for athletes and attendees to enjoy.

With eighth graders soon facing the decision of where to attend high school for the next four years, the Celebration of Spirit is typically an event that impacts this decision for many students. The combination of school pride, the buzzing environment and presence of current NDB students and teachers leaves a lasting impression on both families and students.