By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY – Oak Mountain Elementary School teachers Kim Street and Ferris Smith were impressed with how quickly the girls at their cheer camp were learning motions June 1.

“Oh my gosh, you’re cheerleaders already,” Smith said to the group as she demonstrated each cheer motion on the first morning of the three-day camp. “We have a good group.”

Street said this is the first year she and Smith have led the cheer camp, one of many specialty enrichment camps the Shelby County Schools Community Education Program is hosting at locations around the county this summer.

More than 20 girls ages 5-10 gathered in the OMES gym for several hours each day to learn cheer basics and cheer, including motions and formations.

“The motions that you do in cheerleading are like letters,” Smith said, and showed the group how to form a “T,” “high V,” “low V,” “K” and “touchdown.”

The girls also learned cheer and dance routines to perform for their parents June 3, the last day of camp.

Street said she and Smith, who both have cheerleading experience, had the idea to hold a camp for incoming kindergarteners through third-graders.

“We just thought it would be a good idea,” Street said.

For more information about the SCS summer camps, visit Shelbyed.k12.al.us.