Carol Ann Banaszak was everyone’s biggest cheerleader.
As an ardent supporter of the initial “no cuts” policy for athletics and extracurricular activities, she believed that all students should have an opportunity to participate and represent Woodland Hills School District, where she was one of the first coaches in the inaugural school year.
That was a philosophy she lived with her entire life.
A lifelong resident of Wilkins, Banaszak died peacefully at home on Tuesday at 81. The cause of death is not known.
“Her visionary efforts and dedication were pivotal in the formation of our school district, beginning in 1982 when she became the cheerleading coach and office employee at Churchill High School as part of Woodland Hills School District,” her daughter Lynn M. Banaszak, 57, said on Friday. “From the beginning, she fostered an environment where every student felt seen, heard and valued, transcending the boundaries of a traditional coaching role.”
In the early years, she had more than 100 cheerleaders on her squad, according to George Novak, who was the first high school football coach at Woodland Hills, leading the inaugural team in 1987. Carol Ann Banaszak was one of the first people he met when eastern Pittsburgh suburbs merged to form Woodland Hills High School in 1987.
The school district now serves the communities of Wilkins, Chalfant, Turtle Creek, East Pittsburgh, North Braddock, Braddock, Rankin, Churchill, Forest Hills, Swissvale, Braddock Hills, and Edgewood.
‘A great person’
In her role as cheerleading coach, Banaszak created all the cheers that were part of that era. She established traditions that still remain today, such as the homecoming parade. She was a founding member of the football boosters and believed that the cheerleaders should cheer at a variety of sports like wrestling, girls basketball and swimming.
She helped select the new Woodland Hills school color schemes and the look of the new high school mascot. She chose the cheerleading uniforms, helped select the football uniforms and even helped write the lyrics for the fight song and alma mater.
“She helped me a lot because she knew everybody,” said Novak. “She was also very organized and we needed someone that was organized. We had a monumental job that first year. I had 156 players on the football team, she had over 100 cheerleaders and there were 200-300 kids in the band.”
He recalled seeing the cheerleaders lined up along the sidelines of the football field belting out cheers. Novak said people have told him that the merger went well because of a successful athletic program that included so many students — from the football team to the cheerleaders and the band led by director Thomas Crone.
Some of Novak’s players often asked Banaszak for advice.
“She was a great person,” Novak said. “She got along with everybody. She was a leader and she didn’t hold anything back. She was tough and she was fair. She was well-respected.”
Known as “Mrs. B” to the thousands of students she interacted with, Banaszak believed that it was her responsibility to help students learn and excel not only during their activities but also worked to make sure that they were succeeding academically, her daughter said.
“It is individuals like my mom who lay the foundation for a brighter future through their unwavering commitment to student success,” Lynn M. Banaszak said. “Her legacy is evident in the strong, successful and dedicated culture that continues to characterize our athletics and school at large.”
‘Cheerleading advocate’
Banaszak began working in the Churchill School District in the 1970s as a cafeteria worker and went on to run the Xerox room before getting hired for an office job. When Lynn M. Banaszak was in high school, they didn’t have a cheerleading coach so her mother said she would do it.
“My mother was a pioneer,” her daughter said. “She advocated for cheerleading as a sport, which meant they had conditioning, practices and weight training like other athletes. As the students walked through those doors at Woodland Hills for the first time, my mom, coach Novak and Mr. Crone gave them guidance and light. They helped set the tone for a welcoming culture and helped make it an easier transition. They became ambassadors of the school’s legacy.”
In her 30 years in the Woodland Hills School District, Banaszak helped write the school fight’s song and was the first president of the football boosters. One of Banaszak’s cheerleaders was her niece Nicole Nardozi Wintermyer, 48, of Plano, Texas. She said her aunt was “truly one-of-a-kind.” Wintermyer has many memories of spending time at her aunt’s house around so much strong, female energy.
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“She made us laugh and she loved to tell stories,” Wintermyer said. “She shared her wisdom. She was a pioneer and when she coached me she didn’t just coach me. She coached every girl on the squad. She was tough on us when we needed it and she loved on us when we needed it. She taught us self-respect and that you show up, no excuses. She held us accountable.”
Despite a hectic schedule, Banaszak always found time for family dinners and her faith. When one of her daughters was telling her the family wasn’t ready for her to go to heaven, her response was that everyone has to go to heaven sometime.
“I will always be with you because I am in your DNA,” she said. “Every breath you take. Every step you take. I am with you.”
Lynn M. Banaszak said her mother believed in heaven and that she would see people she had lost once again. One of those is her late granddaughter Caileigh McDowell, who died when she was a senior at Woodland Hills High School.
There wasn’t a day that went by when Lynn M. Banaszak didn’t talk to her mother. The two unboxed hundreds of Santa Claus decorations this past holiday. Because her mother loved Santa Claus, those Santas are still up in the family home and some of them will make their way to the funeral home, Lynn M. Banaszak said.
”I am devastated,” she said. “I feel like the last day you wake up and your mom is here is one version of yourself and the next day you wake up without her and you are forever a different version of yourself. You are different because you have lost part of yourself.”
Lynn M. Banaszak said her mom inspired young people to do their best and no matter where they were there were always former students who stopped her mom to thank her for her guidance and love when they needed someone to listen to and support them.
“So many people have told me that she actually saved them during hard times in their teen years,” Lynn M. Banaszak said. “She was always cheering them on.”
Friends are welcome from 1 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Patrick T. Lanigan Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., 1111 Monroeville Ave., Turtle Creek.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Maurice Church, part of St. Joseph the Worker Parish. Memorial contributions may be made to The Caileigh Lynn McDowell Foundation, caileighsfightsong.com