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It’s quieter on the sidelines at Washington High School basketball games. No chants or cheers to be heard or pom-poms to see waving in the air. 

At the beginning of basketball season, the PamPack cheerleading squad’s season was terminated with eight home games remaining. 

“They had a successful football season, but really they struggled starting the basketball season,” Beaufort County Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Matthew Cheeseman said about the squad which cheers at football and basketball games. 

“Some of that is student behavior with each other, individual student behavior, groups not getting along,” he said when explaining why the team struggled. 

Cheeseman, Washington High School Principal Isaac Lister and Assistant Principal Yolanda McCullor met with the squad to discuss conflict resolution and how to best “value” and “respect” one another. 

“They were very honest about some things,” Cheeseman said about members of the squad. “Our conversation was really just about behaviors with each other.” 

Lister and McCullor ultimately made the decision to suspend the team’s season. 

“As it was presented to me, it was essentially, ‘hey, we think we need to pause this and get everybody back on the same page’ to cheer and what a cheer program should be in terms of integrity, character and enthusiasm,” Cheeseman said.  

Cheeseman added that Washington High School will re-advertise the assistant head coach position, and hopes to have an internal employee who wants to guide the team. 

The team will return for summer tryouts this year.