Big Country Wrap 2025 highlights the year's most uplifting local stories.

This Big Country 2025 Wrap highlights five uplifting local stories, including a viral Abilene high school cheerleader-percussionist and teens who rushed to help during a house fire.

BIG COUNTRY 2025 brings together several uplifting moments from the region. The package highlights community resilience, individual kindness, and everyday courage that drew attention this year. Stories range from school spirit and published memoirs to neighborhood rescues and local rebuilding efforts. The report aims to show positive moments that stood out in the Big Country. Notable stories: - Abilene High School sophomore Angie Hernandez combined drumline playing and cheer acrobatics at Shotwell Stadium, performing the 1970s Abilene Eagle cadence "The Beat" on her quads while her squad held her high. - A playground called Fort Imagination was destroyed by fire on October 10, and community members have since come together to rebuild the space. - Kerstin Cullwell, a legally blind fourth-grader, led Snyder ISD's first-ever Celebration Walk in recognition of White Cane Safety Day as students and staff lined the streets. - Two local women in their 80s, Ellie Hamby and Dr. Sandy Hazelip, who traveled widely, had their travels and friendship chronicled in the memoir "Here We Go: Lessons for living fearlessly from two traveling nanas." - Abilene teens Abby and Landon noticed a house fire, and Abby directed emergency services while Landon ran to investigate and helped in efforts to assist the family. Summary: These stories highlighted everyday courage, community support, and personal creativity across the Big Country in 2025. The roundup centers on local moments that brought attention and comfort to neighbors, and the article notes that additional wraps on crime, weather, and top stories will follow.