As she walks onto the field through the abundance of spray-on glitter, poms in hand, she gets ready to shout out cheers to the crowd. Every Friday night, she performs a carefully choreographed routine to pump up the fans. Taking a step onto the track, she is ready for game time.

Senior Emily Havens is a student who participates in cheer, golf, NHS, student council, key club, and she teaches younger classes at church. 

“My favorite thing is when the whole town is very included and is cheering with us and we’re doing our job as cheerleaders,” Havens said. “I love when everything hits right and all our hard work pays off.”

Havens has done competitive cheerleading since she was younger, but switched to school and sideline cheerleading in eighth grade. She’s trained in tumbling and cheerleading by attending camps and classes since she started cheer.

“To me she embodies all the qualities of a cheerleader,” cheer coach Stacie Wheeler said. “She is always willing to take on any task big or small, she is dedicated, she will be the first to volunteer, she respects all people and makes everyone feel appreciated, and she is always full of joy and spirit.”