The high-kicking drill teams of Frisco ISD are ready for their time under the Friday night lights.

As football season kicks off, halftime brings more than a pause in the game — it’s a showcase of FISD fine arts, including awe-inspiring dance performances.

Dance teams that began preparing over the summer are now dazzling fans on the field, joining athletes, bands, cheerleaders and color guards in the spotlight. And standing beside the dance directors as they teach routines for halftime shows and pep rallies are the student leaders who help drive their success.

At Liberty High School, director Nicole Nothe said dance leaders assist with scheduling, choreography and communication. It's a big responsibility for students, and a panel of judges seeks leaders who can step up.

“We appreciate when leaders are responsible and complete tasks with a sense of urgency and on time,” she said. “Being a leader requires a lot of their time, and we try to teach our leadership team to express when they need help.”

At a Red Rhythm practice just before the first game, the dancers rehearsed a pep rally routine familiar to Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders fans. To the tune of “Thunderstruck,” they high-kicked and jump-split as Captain Mason Classe shouted encouragement: “Raise your hand if there’s one thing you did that you’re proud of!” Then, “Turn to your neighbor and check in!”

Nothe said this kind of support is key. Dancers bring a variety of skill levels to the table, and a great leader can guide them all.

“I have loved seeing our leadership team grow into a group who want to be servant leaders for Red Rhythm,” she said. “They support each other, keep communication open and want the team to have the best experience possible.”

Student opportunity

Frisco ISD’s 12 high schools have 51 drill team leaders, a huge number of talented young dancers in North Texas’ third-largest school district.

This expanded chance to lead dance teams is made possible by FISD’s student opportunity model, where a larger number of high schools provides greater opportunity for extracurricular and academic leadership.

This year’s drill leaders are driven to succeed and form bonds that last a lifetime. Check out their favorite part of drill team and advice to drill students this year in the slideshows below, or linked directly here.

Centennial Sweethearts

Director: Marina Gonzalez

Student Leadership: Courtney Gage, Rhyan Stanford, Dylann Sullivan and London White

Emerson Majestics

Director: Amanda Burch

Student Leadership: Ava Holcomb, Callie Petty, Jade Bontron, Ella Johnson and Easton Quave

Frisco Stars

Director: Bethany Tomlin

Student Leadership: Sarah Blessing, Peyton Collie, Bella Krehbiel and Sydney Schwartz

Heritage Highsteppers

Director: Madison Ceurter

Student Leadership: Brynlee Waltz, Jorja Jones, Sydney Breitenfeld, Jasmine James and Aubrey Schooler

Independence Royals

Director: Jolene Moore

Student Leadership: Madeline Seei, Julianna Dorsey, Quincie Hepworth, Alyssa Rosser, Brooke Bailey and Maycie Norris

Lebanon Trail Emerald Elite

Director: Whitney Cook

Student Leadership: Jessie Chen, Stefi Chaho and Tanvi Murreddi

Liberty Red Rhythm

Directors: Nicole Nothe and Sydney Mooty

Student Leadership: Mason Classe, Camorra Clark, Aditi Shah and Tanvi Jain

Lone Star Rangerettes

Director: Emily Morales

Student Leadership: Tiffany Lin, Elena Danh and Kyelie Comer

Memorial Black Diamonds

Director: Sara Denman

Student Leadership: Yahsha Blackburn, Hayden Johnson, Snigdha Kamisetty and Ava Matthews

Panther Creek Silverados

Director: Caroline Popoff

Student Leadership: Gabrielle Bates, Kailey Haba, Sandra Estevez, Kailey Ceballos and Amani Mataba

Reedy Sapphires

Directors: Kristy Platt and Victoria Meese

Student Leadership: Mary Kate Hall, Julia Powell, Stella Schroeder and Kaylee Dunbar

Wakeland Legacy Line

Director: Shanna Grubb

Student Leadership: Kyler Hawk, Sydney Turman, Bryn Feneck, Morgan Foged and Kiley O’Keefe

- Rachel McReynolds