Fight Like Aubrey: Cheerleaders Cheering on Fellow Player

The Varsity cheerleaders at WGHS encourage and uplift their teammate, Aubrey Barnett, through her difficult trials with cancer. Senior cheerleaders share how they support their friend through this trying season. 
by Ansleigh Hester and Makenzie Bass

The Varsity cheerleaders at WGHS encourage and uplift their teammate, Aubrey Barnett, through her difficult trials with cancer. Senior cheerleaders share how they support their friend through this trying season. 

How do you support Aubrey at games and in practices? 

• Maggie Ezzell (12): I always try to let her know she is loved and missed and things aren’t the same without her.
• Ashlyn Chafin (12): We support Aubrey at cheer by bringing a fat head [of her] to games and competitions. We pray for her and our coaches reach out to her and give updates on how she's doing.
• Ava Beuchel (12): I encourage her and motivate her! 
• Ella Stover (12): We keep her spot with her megaphone open on the sidelines and bring her fathead picture to all the games with us

How does the team encourage Aubrey?

• Maggie Ezzell (12): We send her videos at every game saying we love her, Facetime her at competitions, and wear the Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Cancer awareness ribbon.
• Ashlyn Chafin (12): Our coaches Facetime her while we compete at competitions (when she's feeling up to it). 
• Ava Beuchel (12): Every time we compete, we Facetime her, and we have a big head of her that we bring around. To make her feel like she’s still a part of the team when she’s getting treatment.
• Ella Stover (12): We like to text her and send videos to her before games and stuff to send our love

How do you encourage Aubrey through her diagnosis? 

• Maggie Ezzell (12): We text and Facetime all day, and I always make sure to let her know I love her and pray for her. I also frequently visit her at the hospital.
• Ashlyn Chafin (12): We write notes of encouragement to her. 
• Ava Beuchel (12): I encourage Aubrey by being there for her through everything. I’ve visited her a couple of times at the hospital and our friends have brought gifts and posters to cheer her up.
• Ella Stover (12): I like to text her and tell her I’m praying for her

What do you love about Aubrey as a cheerleader and as a friend? 

• Maggie Ezzell (12): The list could go on and on. Aubrey is so humble and kind. She is the hardest worker I’ve ever met, and she balances cross country and cheer at the same time and also manages to succeed in both. I am so, so proud of her.
• Ashlyn Chafin (12): Aubrey is always encouraging other people and being there to help them. She has a lot of energy and is a fun person to be around and a friend to everyone, which helps make the team as a whole get along better and be more positive. 
• Ava Beuchel (12): What I love most about Aubrey is her continuous happy and encouraging attitude throughout everything. Every time I’ve visited her, she’s always had a smile even when she was super sick. I also love her devotion to God.
• Ella Stover (12): Aubrey is always the funniest, sweetest, and brightest person anywhere she goes.

What events/gatherings has the team held in Aubrey’s honor? 

• Maggie Ezzell (12): A GoFundMe and Meal Train was started for Aubrey, with over 15,000 dollars raised so far. We also make cards and gifts at NG3 and in my own time for [Aubrey].
• Ava Beuchel (12): The cheer team and her close friends set up a welcome home surprise, the church prayed together for her, and in the past couple of football games we’ve worn a cancer ribbon for her. 
• Ella Stover (12): At our cheer NG3 we wrote cards for her, prayed for her, and sent our love because we are all so close at NG3. 

How will you continue cheering for Aubrey in the remaining games and practices? 

• Maggie Ezzell (12): It’s starting to get hard, considering the Homecoming game and Senior Night coming up, and we are unsure if she will make it (to the activities), but I try to keep a positive attitude for [Aubrey], so she knows that she is loved and missed on the team!
• Ava Beuchel (12): I will continue to cheer Aubrey on by checking in on her and lightening her spirits. Being at the hospital has been very isolating, so she loves getting to see me and her friends.
• Ella Stover (12): We’ll always cheer on Aubrey in anything we do by telling her we’re thinking about her and keeping her in our prayers

Tribute to Aubrey
As a school, the students and staff pour their hearts and prayers to Aubrey Barnett. We pray that she will be healed, and we will encourage her through this difficult time. Keep her in your thoughts and prayers!