Annie Stanley has the support of the entire Warren community. That includes people like Madi Fondren, who calls herself Annie’s big sister.
“You can’t really go to Warren ISD and not know Annie,” Fondren said.
Stanly and Fondren are both fired up for the upcoming football season.
Stanley learned on March 2 she made the junior high cheerleading squad. Stanley says her big sister helped her as a cheerleader and as a person.
"She helped, and I love her, I always think about her whenever I get sad or something at the games," Stanley said.
She’s also thankful for her mother Cherie Stanley. Annie was adopted when she was three-years-old. Annie battles fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
"It's tough dealing with that, she's got holes in her brain that affects her memory. It affects her cognitive state, she's about half her age so even though she's 13 and joined the cheer squad, she's six, six and a half," Stanley said.
Annie’s disorder has not slowed her down. Kristina Wiedman, principal of Warren Junior High School says that Annie is the heart and face of the school.
"I want people when they come to our games to see that our community and our school is not just about people being able to be perfect all the time. If you have a disability or not, you are just as valuable as everyone else is," Wiedman said.
Fondren thinks others will warm up to Annie’s winning attitude.
"If she can't motivate you, then no one can, so I think that it'll be a great privilege," Fondren said.
Stanley’s mother is happy her daughter will keep doing something that makes her happy.
"She needs that social interacting with kids at her own age. She loves to be happy and make people happy. And that's what cheerleaders do. So she gets to go out there and cheer and we're so thankful for our school to let us do that," Stanley said.