Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Recognition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City of Columbia honors Columbia Central cheer team and Boys & Girls Club youth at March council meeting
Summary
Mayor Chaz Mulder and the City of Columbia presented proclamations and recognition March 13 to the Columbia Central High School gameday cheer team for a national championship and to local Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year candidates; council members offered facilities and congratulatory remarks.
Mayor Chaz Mulder presented a proclamation March 13 recognizing the Columbia Central High School gameday cheer team for winning the National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida and declared March 14, 2025, "Columbia Central High School Gameday Cheer Team Day" in Columbia, Tennessee.
The proclamation, read by Mulder in council chambers, credited the team and coaches Jennifer Bergut and Barry Lynn Staggs for first-place finishes at the Space Center Regionals and the Middle Tennessee Regionals and for earning a bid to nationals. Mulder said the city wished to honor the team at a date when students could celebrate at school.
Nut graf: The council used its ceremonial time to publicly recognize local youth achievements: a national championship by a Columbia Central team and the Boys & Girls Club’s selection of local Youth of the Year candidates, underscoring city support for youth programs and offering municipal resources for practice space when needed.
Team captain Kate Inslee, a senior, spoke at the podium and thanked coaches, teammates and parents. "This team has really made a huge difference in... the history of Columbia Central High School," Inslee said, adding the team had cheered together for 12 years and that the season had been personally meaningful.
Mulder offered the new Columbia Aquatic and Recreation Center gym as a potential practice space and encouraged the team to contact Parks and Recreation staff for facility help. He praised the team’s “professionalism, commitment, sportsmanship, determination, and dedication” and said the championship brought positive recognition to the City of Columbia and Maury County.
The council then recognized candidates from the local Boys & Girls Club who competed for the club’s Youth of the Year honors. Ginny Wright, executive director of the local Boys & Girls Club, said the candidates represented Columbia well at statewide events and thanked the council for its support.
Kelsey Judd, named the 2025 Youth of the Year for the local club, said she was “incredibly grateful and proud” and thanked the community and the Boys & Girls Club for support. Wright noted Kelsey inducted a Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame member in front of 246 people at a statewide event.
Ending: The council closed the presentations with group photos and applause. Mulder and council members encouraged continued community support for youth programs and flagged the city’s willingness to coordinate facilities for extracurricular needs.
