Mama Minnig

Cheerleader Mikayla Minnig, 11, and her mom Mrs. Minnig, have a brief mother and daughter time around the Downey High school campus on Mar. 16. “Between cheer and homework, we spend a good portion of our time volunteering for the Arthritis Foundation, since Mikayla has Juvenile Arthritis,” Mrs. Minnig said. “I am really proud to be a “Cheer Mama” and will support my daughter in all of her adventures in life.”

Mehak Khan, Staff Writer
March 30, 2015

Janet Minnig has been supporting her daughter ever since she chose to become a cheerleader at the age of 5 and is also on the PTA board for Downey High School. She continues to support the cheer adviser and coaches.

Minnig also has a cheer mom Twitter account, which her daughter set up for her. She follows Downy High, ASB, and The Downey Legend. She claims she likes to stay informed on what is going on in school.

Janet Minnig, mother of cheerleader, Mikayla Minnig, explains what she does to help out the cheerleaders.

“I try to help when and whenever cheer boosters or girls need me,” Minnig said, “I sell snow cones and 50/50 tickets at the DHS home football games. I also give rides to and from the games.”

Minnig loves the cheer team and plans to stay at Downey High School even after her daughter graduates because she also has a nephew who attends DHS

Mikayla Minnig, 11, former cheerleader, states that her mom has been supporting her since freshman year.

“She helps me with routines and has been fully supportive,” Minnig said. “She comes out to every event and sometimes brings my cousins to watch us perform.”

Minnig was not able to attend the cheerleader’s competition in Dallas, Texas, but her heart was with the team. Her daughter kept her updated with calls and texts.

Audree Banuelos, 11, former cheerleader, explains how Janet Minnig encourages all of the cheerleaders.

“She always helps us with encouragement,” Banuelos said, “and she pitches in to make accessories for all of the cheerleaders.”

Minnig also takes her support to social media by giving encouraging about outs to all the students doing well in school, “@DowneyHigh DHS swim-team you mean DHS WIN TEAM!” Minnig tries her best to make sure their accomplishments don’t go unnoticed.

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About the Contributors

Mehak Khan, Staff Writer

Joining The Downey Legend for the first time, 17-year-old writer, Mehak Khan feels that Newspaper has helped her improve her writing and allowed her to be more involved in school. She enjoys writing and hopes to bring in interesting stories to write about throughout the school year. Khan joined Newspaper during second semester to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer. “It felt welcoming as soon as I joined because the staff was so friendly and cooperative,” Khan said. “They helped me out and taught me everything I needed to know about writing stories.”

During her spare time, Khan likes to read, write, and help out in the community. She is also involved in a club on campus, KIWIN’S, which is purely devoted to community service. She also loves listening to music; her favorite band is Vampire Weekend and her favorite solo artist is Ed Sheeran. Although she is unsure about what she would like to major in, after high school she plans to attend UC Davis and travel the world. Once she narrows in on a certain goal, she will do whatever it takes to accomplish it.

Matthew Palencia, Photographer

Matthew Palencia, a Downey Legend photographer who is 18 years old joined Downey’s newspaper to experience a class that’s also an activity, get more into photographing, and to overcome his shyness. Palencia is fascinated how taking a picture captures emotions in that moment. “ Really did I take that? No I didn’t take that? That’s not going to happen again.” Is what he says when he takes an amazing picture. Palenica met a Columbian man who was in love with capturing pictures. The man inspired him and showed him many things about capturing beautiful and meaning pictures.

During his free time, Palencia likes to play soccer with his family and friends. He does not take the game seriously; he just plays for fun and to bond with his family. His favorite foods are chicken and cheeseburgers. Palencia loves dogs; he has a poodle that’s 2 years old. When Matthew graduates this year, his goals are to go to a community college then into a university to major in photography. Palencia hopes to accomplish his goals on being a photographer.