Brenda Jamerson, who recently returned to the head cheerleading coach position at Pendleton Heights High School, is show here (back, center) with the Arabians junior varsity cheer team as it celebrates its performance at the 2017 Indiana Cheer Championship at Westfield High School Saturday, Oct. 21. The JV team went on to place first, becoming state champions.

Times-Post file photo

PENDLETON — The Pendleton Heights cheer program will be under familiar permanent leadership starting with the 2023-24 season.
At a recent meeting, South Madison Community School Board of Trustees approved hiring of Brenda Jamerson as the school’s cheer head coach.
Jameson led the Pendleton Heights cheer program for 19 years before announcing her retirement in 2021.
She returned on an interim basis for the final half of the 2022-23 season.
After the school board’s approval, Jamerson again became head of the cheer program on a permanent basis.
“When you have an opportunity to retain a coach the caliber of Coach Jamerson in any program, it’s a no-brainer,” Pendleton Heights Athletic Director Chad Smith said in a press release. “I look forward to watching her lead our cheer program again. She will be a great mentor for our student-athletes as well as our two young assistant coaches.”
Under Jamerson’s leadership, the Arabians have won 11 conference titles, 11 stunt group state championships, seven state championships, 16 national finalists, and three national championships.
In 2021, when asked by The Times-Post why she thought the Pendleton Heights cheer teams had been so successful during her tenure, she responded, “I think it is all about the culture you build. Each new year the incoming athletes know the standards that were set before them and the expectations of the coaching staff and teammates.
“Our seniors are always a driving force in our success. We try to push each athlete to reach their potential and push beyond self-imposed limitations. It is so rewarding when you see that athlete recognize that everything you’ve told them about their self or possibilities is true. It’s the great ‘aha’ moment every coach loves to see.”
In addition to the team awards, Jamerson has also coached 20 All-State cheerleaders.
Also, while she was in charge, 37 Pendleton Heights graduates went on to compete at the NCAA Division I level; six have won national championships at their schools; and two have won World Championships for Team USA.
Across two decades, Jamerson has earned recognition as Coach of the Year multiple times, including by the Hoosier Heritage Conference and the Indiana Association of School Principals.
“I’m happy to bring consistency and stability to our cheer program by having Coach Jamerson and our two assistant coaches back for another season,” Smith said in the press release. “Keeping quality coaches is getting tougher each day in education-based athletics, so keeping a staff of this quality together will really benefit our cheer program.”
Jamerson will continue to be head coach of cheerleading at Butler University, a position she started in 2018 while simultaneously leading the Pendleton Heights program.