On a cold February night, the Shawnee Mission East gym is packed. It's Senior Night, and the boys' basketball team is taking on the rival Shawnee Mission South Raiders. It's a close game, and the excitement and tension threaten to sweep the crowd into a frenzy.
Well-dressed parents cluster together on the bleachers and the limited floor space. Hordes of younger siblings stroll around in packs, toting soda bottles, red licorice whips and popcorn from the snack bar. The student bleachers line one wall of the small gym. The East kids, a block of dark blue, are separated from their yellow-and-green-clad South counterparts by a doorway. The East fans boisterously cheer on their team. They sing the Olé-olé-olé-olé song and rhythmically clap en masse. At one point, they chant, bull-shit, bull-shit, to the dismay of the official-looking grown-up types who stand guard at the foot of the bleachers. A couple of beefy security guards also patrol the area, and several more are scattered throughout the gym.
Right above the student bleachers is a homemade sign in the East colors of blue, black and white. It reads: "Thank you SME senior cheerleaders." The names of the squad members are listed, including Reagan, Haley, Matthew, Kirby, Morgan.
The cheerleaders split up into two groups that line up on either side of the basket. Matthew Pope — the tallest member of the squad as well as the only guy — takes a spot in the back row. The 17-year-old, who choreographs all the routines, is one of the three co-captains of the squad.
There's another thing that makes Matthew stand out. He's openly gay. At Shawnee Mission East, a school that's often stereotyped as conservative and snobby.
See The Shawnee Mission East class of '08 loves its gay homecoming king
Pitch Weekly, MO
Posts
Stumble It!
