PROFILE: Toniyah Ross

Michael Paul Williams profiles Toniyah Ross in a great font page article in today’s Times-Dispatch:

Toniyah, nicknamed “Butter,” is a seventh-grader at Martin Luther King, a gleaming $40 million school that opened in January 2014. It replaced a facility that opened in 1964 as Mosby School.

She’s the co-captain of the MLK Titan cheering squad, aka King’s Queens. Her leadership role is a rare distinction for a seventh-grader.

“At our banquet, (cheerleader coach Loretta Watson) said I can cheer, I can dance. … I’m always there no matter what. It can be snowing outside, and I’m at practice. She said I’m dedicated to the squad,” Toniyah said.

For Toniyah’s mother, Simone Sapp, the honor is a validation.

PREVIOUSLY:

• King’s Queens (11/23/2016)
• The MLK Cheerleaders are amazing girls and you should know about them (6/15/2016)

Photo by DANIEL SANGJIB MIN/RTD