The cheering section for Jamestown High School’s football team just got louder.

On Tuesday, the Jamestown Public Schools Board voted to create a varsity football cheerleading team for the fall 2023 season. The district currently has a cheerleading team for basketball.

School board members could not recall the last year the football team had cheerleaders, with some estimating that it’s been at least 20 years.

“I think it’s been a while,” said Patrick Slagle, board vice president. “I can’t remember when the last time we had a team. It’s good that it’s coming back.”

Dr. Kevin Whitaker, district superintendent, said about a dozen students expressed interest in a squad being put together. He said the cheerleading team will perform at varsity football games, which kick off next month.

“The cheerleading idea came back from kids,” Whitaker said. “They expressed an interest to our athletic director, Ben Drake, and he ascertained that there would be enough interest. And then we had some interest in coaching it, and so there it was.”

On Tuesday, school board members also approved creating a unified bowling team to begin play next winter. JPS already has a popular unified basketball team.

“I think it’s excellent any time we can add anything like this — any time we can engage a handful of students, I think it’s vitally important,” Slagle said. “You never know what those contests can do for a student and gets them coming to school to be able to participate in this. It’s excellent.”

Whitaker said unified sports teams promote inclusivity and teamwork among students. He pointed to the success of the district’s unified basketball team.

“I can tell you from having gone to the games, it was as much a party and a celebration as it was a sporting event,” he said. “Music and families and dancing and a little bit of basketball thrown in.”

He added, “The opportunity to have more kids experience the joy that I saw our athletes experience … is a great chance for kids to be involved and something that we just have to do.”

In other news, John Panebianco took his oath of office as a new member of the school board. His first meeting after being elected to the board was Tuesday.