Wednesday July 8

Wednesday July 8, 2009

Thank you, teacher dearest

The Star Group Managing Director and CEO Datin Linda Ngiam(left) posing for photos with Cheer 2009 Teacher of the Year Che Azwana Abd-Aziz.

ONCE the winner was announced, the group of young cheerleaders immediately burst into tears of joy. They screamed, sobbed hysterically and embraced one another in a moment of sheer ecstasy. Team Muriel from SMK (P) Pudu may not have won Cheer 2009 but their teacher bagged the Best Teacher award, and that was reason enough for all of them to celebrate. Che Azwana Abd-Aziz has been the teacher in charge of cheerleading at the school for seven years, and based on what she’s done in that time, it’s no surprise that her cheerleaders were so happy for her. “I am with them all the time,” she said, when asked how much time she allocates to her team. “All the time, and every time (they practise). “That’s because cheerleading can be dangerous without supervision. I am there at all their practices to make sure they don’t get hurt.” Bear in mind, the team practised six times a week. For Che Azwana, that meant staying back after work five days a week, and going back to school every Saturday. Under her supervision, the team won fourth place and the Best Dressed award in Cheer 2002, Best Cheer in 2007, and has been in the top 10 “for a few years” now. But even after all these years and the award she received after last Sunday’s finals, she insisted that the team deserves all the credit. “My girls are the reason why I won. Without them, I am nothing ... this award is for them,” she said. For her, it all started when some girls in the school wanted to start a cheerleading club as they wanted to compete in Cheer. They were so enthusiastic about it that Che Azwana just couldn’t say no. “They asked if I could be their teacher, and thankfully the school was very supportive. The principal has supported us all this time, and we even have a junior team now,” she said. The cheerleaders have left a huge impression on her life. “I have learned so much from them,” she said. “They have grown in many ways, in terms of their discipline, dedication and most importantly, their sense of unity. They have so much love among them. I will stay with them as long as they want me.”