Fort Bend Lifestyles and Homes Magazine Mar 2009: Fort Bend ISD Travis High School, Travis Belles

By Sandra Meineke

These words from the song Legacy by Nichole Nordeman define the achievement and over-riding goal of the first graduating class of the Travis Belles, the award-winning dance team at Fort Bend ISD ’s Travis High School.

The song has been the theme song of the Belles for the past three years and will be retired when the 16 seniors on the team graduate this year. The seniors, who formed the nucleus of the dance team when Travis High School opened its doors in 2006, have taken that song to heart in an amazing way.

The small team of sophomores, who began with no dance director and only a brief practice in the summer of 2006, wowed classmates and competitors by winning awards their very first year of competition. With an additional eight dancers the second year, the team accumulated more awards. By the beginning of the 2008-09 school year, the team had 43 dancers and even more trophies, leaving a towering legacy for all future Belles teams to live up to.

Harrison said. “I want to thank all the seniors for the memories and for creating such an amazing family that I am blessed to be a part of. ”

The dance team consists of sophomores through seniors, and the girls are chosen by audition annually. The Belles work with the band during football and basketball seasons, perform competitively during the winter and spring dance contest season, and perform the best routines of the year for the grand finale Spring Show. They practice for two hours after school every day of the school year.

Under Haines’ direction, the team and officer lines have received a Division I on every dance contest routine, a Division I with the Travis Tiger marching band at marching contest, awards for routine, choreography awards, showmanship and presentation awards —to name just a few—and were named among the top five in state competition their second year of existence. At the Fort Bend Dance Classic Solo and Ensemble Contest in February, the Belles walked away with even more Division I awards for their collection.

In addition, the Belles started a new tradition last holiday season by adopting five families with the Pregnancy Resource Center. They plan to continue their relationship with the center as well as taking on other volunteer projects in the future.

Cameron and Lauren have both been dancing since they were very young, and both plan to either major or minor in dance in college. Lifelong participation in dance is good for more than just exercise and fun, the girls believe. “Dance teaches leadership, discipline, time management, maturity and patience,” Lauren said. “You also get to meet a lot of people, and dance can keep you out of trouble because so much time is invested in it, ” Cameron said.

Faith Duckworth, mother of Lauren, is a staunch supporter of school dance participation even though it can be expensive and time-consuming. Students have to pay for their own costumes and their own transportation to competitions. Her advice to parents whose daughters want to try out for dance team: “Be prepared to help your child be dedicated. The expense of money and time are well outweighed by the pride you have in your daughter, her team and her school. ”

Auditions for the 2009-10 Travis Belles have already been held and the team selected, but both captains encourage interested students to try out at the next auditions. “If you like to dance and have a lot of school spirit, try out,” they said.

Even though upcoming Belles teams won’t be dancing to the song Legacy, the graduating class of 2009 expects future teams to continue the legacy established by the first Travis Belles while building their own legacies in the process.

Left:Graduating Travis Belles: (l-r, front row) Jessi Stryk, Lauren Duckworth, Kendall Caminiti, Shelby James, Cameron Coulter; (l-r, center row) Paige Urbanovsky, Julie Quintero, Caitlin Tredway, Kelley Harp, Gina Raimondo, Brittany Barrows, Becca Zuccaro; (l-r, back row) Ashley Kaylor, Lauren Davenport. Not pictured: Kelsey McFarland, Paige Ollre and Malissa Thomas. Right:Team captains Lauren Duckworth (left) and Cameron Coulter, display one of the first trophies won by the newly-formed dance team in 2006. Both girls will be graduating in May and will continue their dance studies in college.

Of the 16 graduating seniors, most had performed on junior high dance teams and had years of private dance lessons. They were ineligible to audition for the Austin High dance team—the high school they attended freshman year—because Travis was scheduled to open the following fall. But, no dance instructor had been hired for Travis at that time, parents and students weren ’t even sure if there would be a dance team the first year the school was open.

Team captains Lauren Duckworth, 18, and Cameron Coulter, 18, had danced together for years, as had most of the others who formed the original team. Their concern was eased shortly before school started when Jennifer Haines, assistant dance director at Hightower High School, was hired as director for the new school. Chelsea Harrison came on board as assistant director last year.

“The best thing about being in the first team is that we’ve been here all three years and gotten to see the team grow,” said Cameron. Lauren added, “We started the traditions and are leaving a legacy for future Belles.”

“In the process of creating a legacy filled with traditions that will last for years to come at Travis, the seniors created many lifetime memories, ”