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School’s new team qualifies for national competition to be held over Memorial Day weekend.

PATERSON – Superintendent of Schools Eileen F. Shafer today congratulated Public School No. 21’s Step team who placed second in an area competition on Saturday and qualified for a national competition to be held over Memorial Day weekend.

Stepping, or step dancing, is a form of percussive dance. The dancers use their entire bodies to produce complex rhythms and sound through footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps.

“We are so proud of our School 21 students for their performance on Saturday. For a brand new Step team to qualify for a national competition is simply outstanding,” said Shafer. “It speaks to each member’s sense of personal commitment to doing their best as well as their ability to work together as a team. Congratulations to all of them as well as their coaches, parents, and guardians.”

Shafer thanked N.J. Assemblyman Benjie Wimberly, who is also the district’s director of recreation, as well as Eastside Athletic Supervisor T.J. Hill, and Teens Step Up, Inc. Executive Director Seye Charles for their efforts in starting School 21’s step team.

Wimberly and Hill facilitated the district’s partnership with Teen Step Up, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Dunellen dedicated to providing step instruction to students ages 12 to 19. 

School 21’s Step team currently has 12 members, all girls who are in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. They practice twice a week after school. On weeks when they have a competition, they practice every day after school.

The team competed against 12 other teams from the tri-state area in Saturday’s competition, which was held at Columbia High School in Maplewood, N.J. The national competition will be held on Saturday, May 27^th at Symphony Hall in Newark, N.J.

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