WORCESTER—The Burncoat High School Spirit Team returned home Monday morning with gold trophies from the National School Spirit Championship in Florida, marking the program’s first national title.
The 46-member team, representing grades 9 through 12, competed in the Spirit Game Day Live category, a division that combines cheer, dance, and band performances. Burncoat was the only team from the Northeast in this category, competing against squads from California, Tennessee, Michigan and other states.
“This team has worked so hard, and we can’t wait to bring home the hardware to our community, friends, alumni and families who helped us get here,” Kellie Shea, Burncoat HS Dance program director and head coach of the Spirit Team, told the Worcester Guardian. “We are thrilled to be taking home first place in the Spirit Game Day Live category at the DIL National School Spirit Championship.”
The Spirit Game Day Live competition involves a combination of cheer, band and dance performances, judged on precision, creativity and energy. Burncoat’s team has competed in this division three times but this year captured their first national title.
In addition to the Spirit Team’s victory, the Burncoat pep band finished third in the nation in the School Band competition.
This year, the Burncoat Dance Team also claimed first place at the 2025 Fall State Hip Hop Competition and the Central Mass Athletic Conference Competition.
Shea said the program’s success stems from a mix of experience and community. The team includes two sets of siblings and a coach/daughter combination. Shea herself teaches dance at Burncoat and runs the Central Mass Dance Academy.
The school and community are planning celebrations to honor the team’s accomplishments, though details are still being finalized.
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