Gracie Howard A Cheer-Filled Farewell to a Championship Year

Gracie Howard

A Cheer-Filled Farewell to a Championship Year

Charles Romans

The Ashland Beacon

Gracie Howard said that her senior year at Greenup County High School has been bittersweet. Not that the year has been bad for her—quite the opposite. It has been so good that she’s sad it’s quickly coming to an end.

Howard, a native of Greenup County, has spent her entire educational career in the Greenup County School System and said she wouldn’t have it any other way. But now, as the school year winds down, she has begun to realize just how much she is going to miss it.

“I’m kind of sad about it,” Howard said of her last year of high school. “Graduating is definitely a major event in my life.”

Howard was a member of the Greenup County cheer team this year, competing with them and winning the state championship. That victory was followed by a third-place finish at the national competition. Not wanting that to be the end of their season, Howard and some of her friends tried out for the USA Junior Team in Nashville, Tennessee. They made the team and traveled to Florida, where they earned a silver medal in an international competition.

“It was awesome,” she said of the experience. “We met people from so many different countries there.”

They also won the School World Championship with Greenup, Howard said. “That competition was a little bit different because there can be other countries there, but it’s usually only the top three from nationals the previous year that can qualify.”

The competition moved quickly, Howard added, with little time to get to know their peers from around the globe. “It happens so fast that the most you can do is take quick pictures with other teams. But we did have one night that was like a trading night where you got to trade all kinds of different stuff. We traded USA stuff, and they traded their stuff with us.”

“You can bring whatever you want to trade,” Howard explained. “A girl from Australia gave me some koala stuffed animals, and I got a beret from a girl from France. Just stuff like that,” she said. Howard traded USA cheer shirts and other memorabilia with the other teams.

The start of that incredible cheerleading journey began her freshman year. “I just decided I want to,” Howard said. “I had done a little bit of cheer in middle school, but mostly on the sidelines. I came to tumbling because Coach Hunter wanted me to, but I really didn’t know anything. And I found out really quick that there was a lot to learn.”

Being part of national and international wins proved that her decision to start was a good one—and that she worked hard and learned everything her coach could teach her.

But Howard excelled beyond the demanding world of cheer. She served on the school’s Student Council and helped plan dances and pep rallies. She’s also involved in a community service program called Bridge Builders and is a Peer Mentor at the school, helping other students succeed.

“I also help in the Special Needs room, and that is my favorite thing to do,” Howard said.

Academically, she recently enjoyed a public speaking class. “I used to be really shy,” Howard confessed. “Which is funny now because I will walk up and talk to anyone. I’ll tell my friends I’m just going to run inside somewhere and be back real quick, then I run into someone and end up talking for thirty minutes.”

Howard’s future plans shifted over her high school years. “I originally planned to go to Eastern Kentucky University and major in Criminal Justice,” she said. “But I have switched completely from that, and now I am going to Marshall University to get a teaching degree.”

She plans to focus on elementary education and is particularly interested in working with kindergarten and first-grade students.

The change in direction, she said, came from helping her mother care for younger cousins. “And I love taking care of them,” she said. That exposure sparked her interest in education and the rewards of helping young people learn. “It’s important to do something you love,” Howard said. “Plus, having summers off is nice too.”

“I’m excited to get started,” she said. Howard has already been accepted at Marshall University, secured a scholarship, and has been invited to join their cheer team.

Marshall’s proximity to home gives Howard flexibility—she could commute, or she might opt for a hybrid approach. One of her friends is also attending Marshall and wants to share a dorm room. Howard is considering that option, knowing she wouldn’t have to stay every night.

“It’s close enough to home that I can go home anytime I want,” she said. “But I’ll also get the experience of living away from home a little bit and being independent.”

“I have always loved Greenup County Schools since I was in Kindergarten,” Howard said. “And I still talk to my Kindergarten teachers.”

She emphasized the importance of the student-teacher connection, saying it might be the most important thing in a young person’s life outside of family. “My Kindergarten teacher and the aides are now teaching my little cousins,” she said. “And it is so important to keep that chain going. I always tell my little cousins they have the best teachers ever.”

“My life wouldn’t be the same if I couldn’t still see and talk to my teachers,” she added.

Now, she hopes to be part of that same kind of positive impact on future generations—becoming not just a teacher, but a mentor and guide for years to come.