LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- A decade after getting its start, Lakewood High School’s Sparkle cheer team continues to inspire crowds and participants.

“It was originally part of a chapter of the Sparkle Effect,” said Sparkle cheer head coach Maura Flynn, who is also co-head coach of Lakewood High School cheerleaders. “At Lakewood, it’s a cheer team made up of kids with and without disabilities.

“So our JV and varsity sideline cheerleading team, and some of our middle schoolers, we open our program up to kids in classrooms with accessibility needs or if they are even in mainstream classes, but wouldn’t typically be able to be in a sport or be part of a full athletics program.”

The Sparkle team is designed to be as an advocate for classmates to create inclusive cheer opportunities and support peers

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