Faces Behind the Voices
LOUD AND PROUD: Gabrielle Heckler (11) and Madison Wyatt (10) read the morning announcements into a phone that allows their words to be projected throughout the entire campus. Their distinguishable, peppy voices light up classrooms every morning as students become informed of school news. A tedious daily routine is given a compelling twist as Heckler and Wyatt find new ways to make listening to the morning announcements an entertaining experience for students.
It’s 9:44, two minutes before the tardy bell rings for the beginning of tutorial and two girls sprint to room E01.
The girls, Gabbi Heckler (11) and Maddie Wyatt (10), Commissioners of Publicity, are the voices behind the announcements.
“It’s a morning tradition,” said Heckler.
Broadcasting the morning announcements is part of the duties of Commissioners of Publicity, so they were prepared to take on the task when they applied for the job.
But the duo is responsible for much more than keeping up with the daily announcements. They are in charge of monitoring the making of posters and hanging them around the campus, maintaining the bulletin boards, and making graphics for large ASB events such as Homecoming pep rallies and Clash of the Classes activities.
The announcements are delivered from the office of Mrs. Valderrama, ASB Activities Director. Heckler and Wyatt are the only two who know the secret code to the PA, so if one of them is sick or absent, there are no substitutes. The other has to read it alone.
“But its a lot more fun when we are reading them together,” said Heckler.
They make the job fun with their competitions to see who can go the longest without messing up, and coming up with unique words to say at the end of the announcements.
“The best part is probably Mrs. V’s super comfy chair,” joked Wyatt.
Through their experiences reading the morning announcements, the girls have made lasting memories.
“I remember one day when we were doing announcements, Maddie stammered on some very intricate names in a surf team congratulations announcement, and we both cracked up and had to hold our hands over the phone so no one would hear it,” said Heckler.
The girls have to remember to speak loudly and clearly, as they realize the more energetic and cheerful they come across, the more people will listen to them.
“Since daily announcements are the only advertisements for many campus organizations, we want to make sure they are heard,” said Heckler.
Delivering the morning announcements can be a large task, even for regulars like Heckler and Wyatt.
“If you mess up on the first part of the announcements, it’s just a train wreck from there,” said Heckler
Mrs. V is known for being very supportive and caring to all her students. She gives the girls a pep talk every morning before they go on, which gives them confidence and helps their performance.
“I love doing the announcements each morning, I’m so glad I applied for the publicity position,” said Wyatt.
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