The new step team, the Knight Steppers, is marching its way into the hearts of McCallum High School.

Founder and faculty sponsor Tonya Moore always dreamed that there would be a step team at McCallum. When she saw the students stepping in the hallways and asking for her help to start the club, she knew this dream needed to become a reality.

“I don’t think it was inspired by me,” Moore said. “It was inspired by the kids.”

Stepping is a lively art form that produces polyrhythms through percussive movements. Beginning in Africa, stepping has now become a global phenomenon and is performed throughout the world.

“They use their hands, they use their feet,” Moore said. “They also use their voices to make sounds.”

Ever since Moore was little, she has always been fascinated by stepping. In college, her husband was a stepper in a fraternity, which exposed her to the vibrant community.

“I love to watch it,” Moore said. “My husband was a stepper, so I started getting into stepping even more.”

On the first day of practice, the Knight Steppers had 30 students in attendance, showing their interest in this dance form.

“It has only been two weeks,” Moore said in November. “But I’ve gotten to know so many kids just through the club.”

Moore strives for building these special bonds with the students of the Knight Steppers. She hopes that the club will continue to grow promoting more cultural diversity within the McCallum community.

“I love to build relationships with students,” Moore said. “I mean, that’s why I’m here, isn’t it?”

The Knight Steppers also promote a sense of inclusivity, accepting any student who has the passion for stepping, regardless of if they have prior experience or not.

“Anything that McCallum does is open to every single person,” Moore said. “So, anything that I do is open to everybody as well.”

The Knight Steppers will perform for the members of the community in hopes of engaging more people and fascinating them with the art of stepping. They will promote African-American culture through their performances outside of McCallum as well as having possible performances for the various months of celebration that take place at McCallum.

“I think by letting people see it, it may make them want to join,” Moore said.

To Moore, stepping represents a community that is able to come together and celebrate their culture. She also believes that it shows a sense of self within her students.

“I feel like stepping builds confidence and self-esteem in these students,” Moore said. “ I hope that that’s what they get out of doing this club.”

When Moore started the stepping club, she knew she wanted faculty member Naomi Jack to be the coach for this team.

In high school, Jack was on the dance and step team, which grew her knowledge of the form. When Jack went to Huston Tillotson University, she was still engaged in the stepping community.

“Stepping has always been in me,” Jack said.

Coaching the step club is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for Jack.

“I’ve always wanted to coach,” Jack said. “I knew I had to be a part of this team.”

After coaching for only a couple of weeks, Jack has already seen enormous growth from her students. They have gone from being more timid about stepping to being confident with their stomping, shouting and expressing their personalities.

“On the first day of practice, everyone was a little bit unsure and a little shy,” Jack said. “But now they are stepping, stomping and shouting.”

Jack believes stepping means culture, family and heritage. She now loves that stepping has been adapted by many people of different cultures, despite originating when universities wouldn’t allow African-Americans to join fraternities or sororities. Jack has noticed that its popularity has grown through elementary, middle and high schools, as well as in different universities.

“Stepping has never been excluded,” Jack said. “It’s always been open.”

Jack hopes to encourage her students to work hard in school and be a student who can represent the Knight Steppers outside of practices. She provides a safe space that these students can go to if they need tutoring or help in life.

“You are always a student first, stepper second,” Jack said.

One student who had been pushing for there to be a step team at McCallum is the team captain, senior Kyranise Hose. She has loved how the club has allowed her come together with a group of students who are passionate about stepping.

“I love that we’re able to come together and have fun,” Hose said. “We are also able to learn together and be one.”

When Moore finally went to her and said she would start step club, Hose knew that this was going to be a memorable last year at McCallum.

“I finally got the opportunity,” Hose said. “So I took it and ran with it.”

Even though Hose had no prior experience in stepping, she is excited to be a part of the step community — which has been her dream for a long time — and give back to the community.

“I’m excited to be able to step and give back to others,” Hose said. “And just have fun with my group of people.”

This year Hose hopes to be able to leave her legacy within the step team, and leave them with skills and knowledge they can use for the rest of their lives.

“I hope I’m able to leave them with something fun, beautiful and fantastic for them to do,” Hose said.

One of her favorite parts about the team is that she can challenge herself with the hard and complicated steps as well as that she can add her own style into her movements, making stepping unique and joyous.

“It starts off a little complicated,” Hose said. “But once you start to figure it out, you can put your own little rhythm and style into it.”

To Hose, stepping represents loyalty, honor and pride. The rhythms and beats of stepping have allowed her to be able to find herself and who she is as a stepper.

Hose believes it’s important for the club to be inclusive and accepting to everyone. At McCallum, diversity allows everyone to find what they love and are passionate about.

“If you’re blue, green or purple, you can still step.” Hose said.

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