RAHWAY, NJ — Rahway residents and members of the Rahway Public Schools community may or may not be Philadelphia Eagles fans. But one thing is no doubt certain. On Sunday, Feb. 9, as the Eagles took on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, everyone in town and all those with any kind of love in their hearts for Rahway was rooting for one Eagles cheerleader, Deanna Flanagan, a 2013 Rahway High School graduate and current dance teacher and choreographer at the high school.
Flanagan, who also graduated from RHS as its valedictorian, is in her rookie year with the team, having previously served as a cheerleader for the New York Jets and also with the Philadelphia Wings out of the National Lacrosse League.
Flanagan said, before her career in professional cheerleading began, she started dancing at the age of 2 in a variety of genres.
She was never a cheerleader growing up, but her dance training served her well, as she pointed out that cheering in the NFL was much closer to dancing than cheerleading anyway.
Following her graduation from RHS, she attended Marymount Manhattan College, earning a degree in dance. From there, she earned a master’s in dance education from Hunter College, also in New York City.
Answering an open call for NFL cheerleaders, Flanagan was selected for the Jets squad and cheered for the team from 2019 to 2022.
Teaching all day and cheering on the sidelines can definitely be a busy lifestyle. She noted that, through the course of the season, including the preseason, she attends all the home games and also practices with the squad twice a week.
But, she said, she wouldn’t change a thing.
“There really is no feeling like this, especially as a rookie,” Flanagan said. “The team has worked so hard and we’re all so excited for the game.”
For the schools and community of Rahway, it’s also a very exhilarating time.
“It means a lot to me to represent not only the Eagles but Rahway, too,” Flanagan said. “Sharing this with my students is really special. I hope it inspires them to live out their own dreams.”
Flanagan noted that, after each Eagles win this season, she and her students would call the return to school the following day “Victory Monday.”
“Everyone would yell out, ‘The Birds won!’ and there was so much excitement in the building. They were so happy for me and what it represented for Rahway,” she said.
Flanagan confessed how much the support of the schools and community means to her and how much she loves being from Rahway and working in the public schools.
“I love sharing my passion for the arts and this is a great place to do it,” she said. “We have such a strong arts community and a great program in the schools.”
And Rahway clearly loves her right back.
So whether you were rooting for the Eagles or the Chiefs on Sunday, Feb. 9, the fans have spoken! Rahway High School’s No. 1 cheerleader, Deanna Flanagan, is already this weekend’s big winner!
Article by Rahway Public Schools
Photos Courtesy of David Brighouse