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Kaelei Whitlatch

Hi, I'm Kaelei and I'm a senior at Southmoreland. I'm a member of National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Concert Band, Show Choir, Highlander Choir, Musical Arts, Music Theatre club, The Future is Mine, Random Acts of Kindness, and Journalism. I love to play clarinet, write, and perform on stage. I plan to attend Robert Morris University with a major in Communications.

Latest posts by Kaelei Whitlatch (see all)

• Fox enjoying successful music career by ‘Chance’ - May 3, 2019
• Greenawalt attending state music education program - April 5, 2019
• Price, King earn full scholarships to ‘dream schools’ - April 1, 2019

Chloe Gillott was able to spend her Thanksgiving in an unusual way — over 250 miles away from home and on national television.

The Southmoreland eighth grader was given the opportunity to perform in the 97th annual Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade as an All-American cheerleader.

Gillott has been cheering since the sixth grade as a “midget cheerleader.” She is now the co-captain of her middle school squad and has been a part of it since seventh grade.

The thirteen year old learned about All-American through the Universal Cheerleading Association representatives that hosted a summer cheer camp for Southmoreland’s cheer squads.

Throughout their three days of camp at Southmoreland High School, the girls learned a dance and a cheer which they would be asked to perform in order to be eligible for All-American. On the third and final day, the girls got into groups and tried out for the honor by performing their best jump, cheer, and dance.

Gillott was the only girl from Southmoreland who actually went to the event in Philadelphia.

“I was very excited, grateful, and anxious,” Gillott said. “I realized that if I put my mind to do something, I can do anything that I set my mind to it.”

Many other cheerleaders on her squad who were given the same opportunity didn’t want to miss Thanksgiving with their families, but Gillott didn’t mind.

“Honestly, the only thing that I missed was having my mom’s food because she makes the best Thanksgiving dinner,” Gillott said.

Gillott’s sister, Melanie, was able to be with her sister throughout the three-day experience.

“I was so happy when I found out she made it in,” Melanie said. “It didn’t really matter that we were missing Thanksgiving at home. We go somewhere different every year anyways.”

Wednesday the girls got to go on a walking tour of Philadelphia, where Chloe made lots of friends.

“I made friends with people from across the country, such as New Jersey, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Illinois, and New Hampshire,” Chloe said.

That night, the All-American cheer squad ate dinner on a boat and had a dance party. There, they joined in on some of the nation’s popular trends, such as the “Juju On That Beat” dance and the Mannequin challenge, where those participating strike a pose and hold it as long as they can.

“I had lots of fun dancing and singing,” Chloe said. “The food was really good there too.”

The Gillotts stayed in the Hilton Hotel on the 17th floor, where they would later have Thanksgiving dinner in the hotel’s ballroom. They began their Thursday at 3:30 in the morning to begin Chloe’s rehearsal for the parade.

“My favorite part of the experience was dancing on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, the famous Rocky steps,” Chloe said.

The famous televised parade started at 9:00  in the morning and is the oldest parade in the country, celebrating its 97th year.

“We were there for seven and a half hours, rehearsal and parade time combined,” Melanie said. “Even though the parade was only a mile long, it would stop for commercial breaks.”

Melanie was able to sit and watch the entire parade in the grandstand, facing the cameras and the backs of those in the parade. She said she enjoyed the musical theater performances from shows such as The King and I, Mamma Mia!, Dirty Dancing, and more.

“I loved watching the performances since I’m a theater person,” Melanie said. “It was also amazing to meet different people from across the nation and support my sister.”

The All-American cheerleaders were toward the end of the three-hour parade.

“During the parade, it was really cold, but it was really fun and exciting,” Chloe said. “Afterwards, I was really tired from waking up early and marching for that long.”

The Gillotts left on that Friday morning, and overall, they had a great time during this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

“I felt very excited and thrilled to have such a great opportunity,” Chloe said. “It was one of the greatest days of my life.”