At the Monday, April 11th Okaloosa School Board meeting, the Ruckel Middle School cheerleading team was recognized for winning the Junior High Gameday Division at the 2022 Universal Cheerleaders Association (UCA) National Championship.

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Coach Tanya Herndon, the coach for both the Niceville High School and Ruckel Middle School cheerleading teams expressed how proud she was of this group of young girls, “I love that their first national title was the game day because game day is all about showcasing your school’s spirit and your ambassadorship for the school and the energy and I think that is something that is really special to Ruckel… These girls, for the three years they are there, bleed Ruckel Middle School. They go to sporting events if they are not cheering, they just have a lot of pride, so to be able to showcase that and then win was really a cherry on top of a perfect year for us.”

Ruckel Middle School Assistant Principal Craig Miller also expressed pride in the team’s performance both at the competition and in their everyday lives. Millier said, “Once again Ruckel Middle School has exceeded expectations with the tradition of excellence that they have. Not only in the classroom as well too. I see these girls, they pick up trash in the hallways, they pick up trash outside, they are involved in the school, exactly what Coach Herndon said… We are very proud of you in your hard work.”