CA continues Panther Paw traditions

By Courtney Warren 

The walk to the Canton Academy (CA) football field has been covered in white Panther paws bearing the names of beloved CA students and family members for the last fifteen years. 

In fact, before the new field house was built, it was a longstanding tradition for the football players to hold hands and take the “walk of champions”- listening to the click of their football cleats over those same painted paws as they made their way to the gridiron.

Once again, the cheerleaders are prepping the painted Panther Paws, a cheerleading fundraiser, for the upcoming season. 

Fifteen years ago, in 2009, the Panther cheer squad, under direction of then-sponsor Suzanne Williams, began the Panther Paw Pathway after being invited to cheer in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. Selling the painted paws to CA patrons was one of the girls’ many fundraising efforts, and it turned out to be a huge success.