Their voices are heard at the beginning of every school day at Akins.

“Good Morning Akins Eagles this is Leah Jarrell and Jenna Thornton” they say in turn right after the first morning bell.

These two freshmen have served as the Voice of The Eagles since September, leading the school in saying the pledge and helping with morning announcements.

Thornton and Jarrell started doing the announcements in eighth grade at Paredes Middle School. When they started school at Akins, they noticed students were helping with making morning announcements on the intercom. So they went to Principal Brandi Hosack to ask if they could do the announcements. After going through an interview process with the front office staff, they were approved to start making the announcements in September.

Jarrell said she wanted to do the announcements because it helps her feel more comfortable talking in front of people.

“I like talking in front of people. I like having people hearing me and knowing me.” Jarrell said, “And it’s a good thing to do so you’re not nervous in front of people, so in the long run it’s good people skills. Talking to an adult is so much easier because you have more of a sense of being professional.”

Thornton says how doing the announcements every morning she gains experience in speaking and will contribute to her career later on.

“People have told me I have really good communication skills, that I’m a good public speaker,” Jarrell said. “The job I want to pursue have a lot of speaking in front of people and to people.”

Thornton and Jarrell originally met in first grade, where they said they did not like each other through much of elementary school. But when they began sixth grade they realized they had more in common than they thought and became friends. From then on they have remained best friends. “Funny thing, in like first grade I would throw rocks at her because I didn’t like her and one got stuck in her ear where she ended up having to go to the hospital,” Jarrell said. “So yeah we hated each other. And then in sixth grade we were like ‘Oh hey. We know each other. Let’s be friends.’ We’re both kind of awkward and unique and since then we’ve been best friends ever since.”

Both Jarrell and Thornton are very busy people. Outside of school they are both in FFA and Girl Scouts.

Jarrell is involved with the Akins Wrestling. Outside of school, Jarrell participates in a group of Christian hunters called Cosie Pink and attends Young Life Christian youth meetings.

Thornton has been involved in FFA since she was eight years old. Through the program at Akins she has learned to raise livestock animals and how to be productive and time management. She is also in her first year on Akins Color Guard where she is part of the flag line.

“It’s really challenging but really fun,” Thornton said. “You get to meet a lot of people.”

Both girls plan on attending Texas A&M University after high school. Jarrell said she plans on being a lawyer or veterinarian while Thornton plans to be a large animal veterinarian