July 20, 2007
By Mindy Busch, Golden Girls Contributor

The officers of Plano East High School's drill team, the Golden Girls, attended Officer Camp June 12-15 in Houston.  They participated in four intense days of training with HTEDance & Spirit Group, Inc.  They worked tirelessly and achieved awards in outstanding choreography, outstanding attitude, outstanding leadership, and outstanding technique.  They also were awarded spirit sticks all four days, which is a unique accomplishment.  This year's officers, along with additional awards received, are: Kathleen B. (dance academy and kick academy), Tori U. (kick academy), Ally R. (kick academy), Carrie A.(dance academy and kick academy), and Biebele J.

Sixty-four of the seventy-one Golden Girls attended line camp the following week, June 19-22 in Irving.  They were named the most admired team by dancer vote.  They received 2 spirit sticks as well as the overall spirit stick awarded to one team on the final day.  Two girls were honored to be included in kick academy: Stephanie E., and Katlyn R. Three of the girls were awarded membership in dance academy: Biebele J., Ally R., and Tori U.

Those girls who were accepted into The Academy at either of these camps will have the opportunity to go on the HTE Dance Academy Tour.  This year's tour will be held in Paris, France in the Spring of 2008.  Since all five of the Golden Girl officers were invited to be in The Academy, they have been awarded the honor of being Platinum members which earns them the privilege of their own dance performance in front of the Eiffel Tower.

After the conclusion of the second camp the Golden Girl officers were called forward.  They were lauded for their exceptional spirit and leadership skills by the management and staff of the camp.  In addition, out of over 350 girls in attendance at the camp, two of the girls, Kathleen B. and Biebele J., were invited to be on the staff with HTEDance & Spirit Group, Inc. after their graduation from Plano East.

The Golden Girls is under the direction of Mrs. Stefanie Cooper.  Congratulations to her and to each and every one of the girls on the team.  It is truly going to be a team to watch during the 2007/2008 school year.

November 30, 2006
By Stefanie Ackerman, Staff Writer - Plano Star Courier

The Plano East Golden Girls Drill Team will take to the streets of Dallas in a special performance for the 19th Annual Neiman Marcus Adolphus Children’s Christmas Parade.

The dance team was invited to perform a routine in the middle of the parade, to be broadcast nationally Saturday. The team’s performance is scheduled for 10:35 a.m. (Dec 2nd).

“It’s a little nerve racking. It’s national TV and you know the cameraman is going to catch all of it,” said Gaby Baker, Lt. Capt. of the Golden Girls. “It’s mostly exciting to me.”

The parade officials wanted this year’s parade to reflect the immense amount of talent that is in the Dallas area. Instead of having a professional group such as The Rockettes or the Rangerettes perform, they looked for group area that possessed the talent of professionals.

“We just need the talent. Plano schools attended our camps and they were remarkably adaptive,” said Jeff Giles, CEO of HTE Dance, the company which choreographs and books all the dance talent for the parade. “They rose to the occasion they were an extraordinary example of leadership.”

The squad left Thursday afternoon for downtown Dallas and their chance a national stardom with a “cutesy” jazz routine to the Cheetah Girls “Five More Days ‘Til Christmas,” Baker said. The girls will adorn Santa Claus style dance uniforms with tan tights and character shoes. Stefanie Cooper, director of the Golden Girls, said the uniform is

The team of 58 juniors and senior will miss the annual Plano Children’s Christmas Parade and the Plano East Football playoff game in Round Rock on Saturday.

Baker said the group toiled over the decision to be in the Adolphus Parade and miss the other community activities, but the whole package deal with the parade was a great offer for the girls.

“The Golden Girls participate in the children’s parade every year. Based on the dance talent and it being a once in a lifetime chance, we just couldn’t turn it down,” said Stefanie Cooper, director of the Golden Girls.

The team will perform twice during the parade route, once in front of Dallas City Hall, then truck over the Six Flag in Arlington to perform for Holiday in the Park, all on Saturday in the cold, windy weather that’s predicted. The team will also perform on Monday at the Children’s Medical Center Dallas, helping celebrate the ground breaking for the CMC Legacy.

“I never thought as a senior in high school that my team would be invited to all of this,” Baker said. As a Golden Girl, getting invited n that’s such an honor,” Baker said.

The honor was earned through hard work and dedication, said Giles.

“From our stand point, we have a team that is solid, strong and knows how to perform well as a team,” Giles said.

Cooper said last year has been transitional for the team. A broad range of dance technique exists, but in the last two months, the girls have gelled together. The girls with the least experience dance as if they’ve done it all their life and stylistically, the group looks like one.

Generally, a team would learn a routine two days before the performance and perfect it the day before the performance, but with PISD’s commitment to education, district officials only allowed the team to miss one full day of school. The young ladies learned the dance the two days before Thanksgiving break and have spent this week polishing off the final moves.

“I’m confident in their independence it reassures me and gives me that safety net,” Giles said.

Giles has to choreograph and clean up the opening dance of 300 dancers from all over Texas. He said that knowing he has strong group like the Golden Girls, he won’t have to spend all his time with them. He has confidence the team’s practices in front of the camera on today will go well.

The Golden Girls have worked hard this year to turn around their reputation within the school and community, Baker said. This is one of the ways to give back to the community and show the rest of the country the wonderful things that coming out of PISD schools.

“It is important that these kids learn to give and volunteer to a higher cause. That’s what my hope is; that these kids find joy in doing something for those less fortunate,” Giles said.

The parade is broadcast live on WFAA-TV Channel 8 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area at 10 a.m. on Saturday (December 2). Through national syndication, the parade is also viewed on more than 338 television stations in 158 markets coast-to-coast. The parade will be broadcast live in Spanish on Univision, Channel 23 in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Sunday, October 29th
Capital One Bank, located at 544 & Los Rios Blvd
Capital One Bank hosted a reception for the Golden Girls and their parents in honor of the Golden Girls being invited to perform in this years Neiman Marcus Adolphus Children’s Parade on December 2nd. Capital One is one of the sponsor’s of this year’s parade and presented the Golden Girls with a $500 check towards their fundraising efforts for this trip. Thank you Capital One for a wonderful party and your donation!!!