Avery Halpin is in her senior year at Momence, where she’s lived her entire life. Both the school and the town are deeply important to Avery, who isn’t at all confused about the charms of life here: “I just love it here. Mostly everybody knows each other. So if you go out to the grocery store, you see somebody you know, and you can chat with them. I've had the same friends my whole life. I've grown up with my class. So it's been nice to just be around the same people.” Rather than feeling isolated, Avery sees an opportunity to connect with folks everywhere she can. And she plans on helping people everywhere she can.Avery is planning on attending university for speech pathology, a path that will lead her from a four-year college to earning her Masters. If there ever was an argument for the divinity of humans, it is the ability to speak. Avery, once in her vocation as a speech pathologist, will only be furthering this divine spark in us, in those of us who need help and kindness with it. Moreover, Avery isn’t keeping her proverbial candle under a bushel basket. She’s head of the cheerleading team, and there’s a family history there.

Avery’s own mother had a good deal to do with her daughter cheering and speaking into life those chants that get the team and the ball moving. “My mom cheered when she was in high school. And then she coached cheerleading up until I was probably around five, and then she stopped. But then I joined cheer when I was in first grade. She started coaching while she was coaching high school. But then she started coaching me in second grade, and she's coached me ever since.”

When asked where the ideas come from for new cheer routines, Avery tells us, “We get a lot of our inspiration from the media. We get a lot of ideas from other cheer teams. It's hard to be new with cheer nowadays, because everything's been done. But we just take what we can from what we like of routines, and we put it together for what works for us.” Cheerleading doesn’t just take muscular dexterity and stamina. It takes leadership as well. Avery Halpin is a natural born leader, and a leader that doesn’t ever need to force her hand or wilfully assert herself. She’s kind and intelligent, and knows what makes good leaders. She’s been around cheer her whole life, and can tell you a thing or two about what it takes:

“Working with a team of teenage girls has definitely been a trip. But how you communicate with others when the tensions are high is definitely something I've learned. And as a senior, and as my mom being the cheer coach, I've kind of taken on a leadership role, and am trying to use what I can to lead and keep everyone calm and happy.” Plus, there’s the issue of scrutinizing ourselves the most when we’re in charge. Avery, always aware of those around her (in the best way), knows that the leader can also be the weakest link if they're not reading the entire room: “I just feel like if you're going to be in charge of a group of people, you have to be able to learn. Read the cues, and keep everyone involved, and make sure everybody has an opportunity to thrive”

Beyond cheer, Avery is also ranked first in her class, but as her own humility would tell it, she’s tied for first. She’s worked hard to get there, and she happens to be neck-and-neck with her best friend. From wanting to help others and “be around kids,” Avery Halpin will make and is already making a difference. It’s the old Greek ideal of body and mind working together. You might hear Avery’s voice at a game. You might see her cheering the team on. Or, you very well might see her reading a book somewhere. It’s all working together, and it’s working well.