Don't Be Undecided! Get to Know This Year's Homecoming Court
With all the talk of Hillary versus Trump around the East Ridge hallways, there is one vote everyone can partake in that doesn’t involve the fate of the entire country. The students on the East Ridge Homecoming Court, announced last Friday, will all be considered for homecoming King or Queen.
Zach Bennett is among the five boys nominated as candidates for Homecoming King. Bennett is a proud player on both the football and basketball teams. He also is an active member of the National Honor Society and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. When Bennett isn’t working at getting better in athletics, he can also be found hanging out with friends, playing piano, or working at his Rock Band video game guitar skills. Though some can’t tell the difference, Bennett is a firm believer that Rock Band is far superior to guitar hero. He adds that you will never catch him playing anything else.
Davis Swift, on the other hand, may not be a football player or even an avid Rock Band guitar shredder, but that just leaves him time to amp at football games every Friday night or hang out with friends. Swift is involved with cross country and is the founder as well as co-President of the Unified Club.
Jacob Yacovella, also known as Yaco, will also be standing on the gym floor during the pep fest. Yacovella is a superfan, as well as an active member of Spanish Club and many athletics. He runs on the cross country team, he has played basketball, and this year he will be trying out track for the first time. Yaco’s favorite thing to do whenever he has any free time is to “hang out with the boys.”
Cole Angell will also be appearing on the court on Friday. Angell is a member of the East Ridge trap shooting team. During his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends. In the last few years he’s had a lot of interesting opportunities including the chance to tour the original Medtronic headquarters and learn about their biomedical technology.
Last, but not least, Cormac Dolezal will be the fifth guy on the gym floor for the pep fest on Friday. Dolezal participates in the musical, is on the speech team, and competes with the tennis team. He is also involved with National Honor Society, newspaper, STLF, and the on-site team at East Ridge. In his free time, Dolezal watches a lot of movies, and is nurturing a budding modeling career. That said, Dolezal wants the student body to know he is just like anybody else, “If fact, at the end of the day, I do take off the sash.”
On the other side of the court there are five girls nominated for homecoming queen. Izzy Peters, a pageant contestant herself, is one of the girls nominated. She actively participates in pageants in her free time as well as hanging out with friends.
Carly Newcomb is another senior nominated. Newcomb, captain of the dance team, spends a lot of her time at practice. When she’s not dancing, she enjoys participating in Young Life, among other things. If you ask Newcomb’s teammates about her, the first thing they will tell you is that, though she may seem like a T-Swift fan, don’t be mistaken--Carly is a hardcore Drake follower.
Lexi Simonson will be joining Carly and Izzy down on the gym floor. Simonson actively participates is 4H, Western Saddle Clubs Association, as well she is the captain of a Jets Team. All three of those things pertain to equestrianism, which she has a passion for. Simonson also is a super fan, on the homecoming committee, likes to figure skate, and to hang out with friends.
Brooke Valiukas is another nominated member of the homecoming court. While Valiukas is known for being an astounding soccer player--so good that she landed a scholarship to Missouri State University--she also participates in Project Unify and Project Service. In the little free time that she has, Valuikas likes to hang out with family and friends. She also considers herself an avid Mario Kart racer and challenges anyone who thinks they could beat her.
Laine Hoeffel, though last to be mentioned, is a force to be reckoned with. Laine is a varsity volleyball player and she takes a lot of pride in supporting her younger teammates. Recently, she was picked as player of the game by Max Prep Sports. And while sports are important to Hoeffel, she also participates in Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos or NPH. NPH is a club focused on raising money to send care packages to NPH homes in Central and South America. She loves participating in the club because, as she said, “Those kids have such good hearts and all they want to do is play. I have such a good time with this club and the other people involved are great as well.” While volleyball and NPH keep Hoeffel pretty busy, in her spare time, she loves to read and hang out with friends.
While voting closed Wednesday, East Ridge awaits its new monarchs on Friday.
