By the time many high school students reach their senior year, they are ready to pull up on the reins and take a little celebratory break as they coast toward graduation. Maci Williams isn’t a typical high school student. Instead of taking it easy, she is working even harder in an effort to get the most out of her senior year and pave the way for a successful transition into college.
For Williams, grades have always been a priority. From the first little quiz she took early in elementary school to the brain-crushing exams in her Advanced Placement classes today, she has always strived to do her very best. She knew from an early age that those red letters and numbers her teachers scribbled on returned papers were important. Her parents encouraged her when she was in elementary school but it didn’t take long for her to start motivating herself to do well. “I always knew I was going to college,” says Williams, “and I knew I had to make good grades to get there.” In ninth grade, Williams made up her mind to get her high school career off to a good start. She made excellent grades that year, which made things easier on her as she moved from grade to grade.
In the midst of her academic work, Williams got involved in a number of extracurricular activities, including cheerleading, basketball dance line, and the annual spring musical. In addition, she dances with the Pritchett-Pippen School of Dance in Albany. Balancing all those activities with schoolwork isn’t easy but it’s a schedule to which Williams has become accustomed. “I’ve learned to focus on one thing at [a] time and put 100 percent into it. Once I get finished with one activity, I move on to the next one,” she says.
As In the Game spoke to Williams, she was transitioning from football cheerleading to basketball dance line. In all honesty, she was adding basketball dance line to football cheerleading. The Knights were preparing for their first-round playoff game against Mount de Sales but basketball was about to begin. As long as Deerfield-Windsor was in the football playoffs, she would be a very busy young lady.
Of all the activities in which she participates, the basketball dance line is her favorite. Drawing upon her formal dance training, the dance line is an opportunity for Williams and her teammates to cut loose and entertain in a more relaxed environment than a studio recital. The dance line performs during half time of the boys basketball games, and it’s a time for the girls to relax and have fun. “We can be confident and just enjoy ourselves. We can put the academic schoolgirl stuff aside and almost be somebody else out there,” she says. “We try to give 100 percent and put on a good show.”
Williams has applied to the University of Georgia. When she gets to college, whether it be Georgia or another institution, she isn’t sure if she will continue dancing and/or cheering. “I don’t know about that. It would be fun but I’m just not sure,” she says. Williams is considering a career in pharmacy, though once again, she isn’t entirely sure. “It seems like a good fit. I’m pretty good in math and science,” she laughs.
Favorites:
• Sport you wish you could play: Baseball
• Movie: Remember the Titans
• Food: Pizza
• Place to travel: New York (been there several times) or somewhere in the tropics (never been)
• Coke or Pepsi? Coke
• Dogs or cats? Dogs
• Person to meet: Kate Middleton
Entertaining is something Maci Williams loves to do. She enjoys cheering on Friday nights, she loves dancing during half time of the basketball games, and she has a blast onstage during Deerfield-Windsor’s spring musical. Practice begins in January, so her rehearsals overlap with basketball season. Williams isn’t a trained vocalist but she can hold her on when she’s performing. “I just enjoy being involved in as many extracurricular activities as possible,” she says.
Academic Athlete/South Georgia/December 2013
Maci Williams
Deerfield-Windsor High School
Albany, Georgia
Robert Preston Jr.
Cheerleading, dancing, studying keeps Deerfield-Windsor senior very busy
