King Eric, Queen Jenny – and the rest of the aristocracy
HOMECOMING 2014’S ROYAL couple – Queen Jenny Wright, left and King Eric Wenner, right.
For Homecoming 2014, it is “All Roads Lead Home” – and at the end of that road home, it was King Eric Wenner and Queen Jenny Wright who were crowned as Mountain Lake Public High School’s (MLHS) 2014 Homecoming’s reigning couple during a coronation celebration held Saturday evening, September 26, in the school’s auditorium. The pair was selected for the honor on a vote by their peers.
Additional senior class members of the royal family include Lydia Hildebrandt, Olivia Hopwood, Brianna Soutthivong, Benjamin Grev, Logan Johnson and Jared Willaby.
Junior class attendants are Dylan Hanson and Carly Fast, representing the sophomore class are attendants Ruben Fentanez and Liana Blomgren and the freshmen class attendants are A. J. Vongsy and Marta Stoesz.
Serving as hosts for the event were Master of Ceremonies Samuel Xayanourom and Mistress of Ceremonies Michaela Cate.
The evening event included greetings from the school’s foreign exchange students, Ann-Katrin Schultze of Germany and Vladislav Mikhailenko from Kyrgyzstan, dance entertainment by Reynaldo Capetillo to a remix of the song “Beat It,” recognition of the fall sports teams by their respective captains – and a “Road Trip” Q & A game show competition pitting the Queen Candidates versus the King Candidates, led by game show host, Caleb Rempel, assisted by Signey Stoesz. (It was the Queen Candidates who prevailed – proving they have a better knowledge of the roads, streets and avenues that surround the City of Mountain Lake.)
The crowning of the Homecoming King was handled by Brook Sunderman, with Tommy Kraemer placing the Homecoming Queen’s tiara.
Assisting in the coronation ceremony were Daniel Harder and Jareya Harder on lights and sound, Tammy Engstrom of Mountain Lake Antiques, who provided many of the decorative “road trip” on-stage props and Hiebert Greenhouse, for the use of the greenery accents.
The coronation kicks off Homecoming Week, which continues this Monday through Friday.
Daily events include:
* Monday – Reverse Day (clothes worn backwards), Class of the Year (COTY) activity at noon and 7/8 and Junior Varsity Football, at Fulda.
* Tuesday – Travel/Tourist Day (dress as a tourist), COTY activity at noon, Cross Country, at st. James and Volleyball, home versus Ellsworth.
* Thursday – Road Crew Day (dress as a road work crew member), 7/8 Volleyball, at Windom and Volleyball, at Westbrook/Walnut Grove.
* Friday – Wolverine Day (dress in maroon-and-silver), Pep Fest and COTY activity at 2:50 p.m., Football, home versus the Cleveland Clippers and 9th grade – 12th grade Homecoming Dance in the school cafeteria, 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
AT HOMECOMING TIME, “All Roads Lead Home” to MLHS, which sports a current population (grades 7-12) of approximately 250.
FRESHMEN CLASS ATTENDANTS, A. J. Vongsy, left and Marta Stoesz, right.
SOPHOMORE CLASS ATTENDANTS, Ruben Fentanez, left and Liana Blomgren, right.
JUNIOR CLASS ATTENDANTS, Dylan Hanson, left and Carly Fast, right.
SENIOR CLASS QUEEN and King Candidates, Lydia Hildebrandt, left and Benjamin Grev, right.
SENIOR CLASS QUEEN and King Candidates, Olivia Hopwood, left and Logan Johnson, right.
SENIOR CLASS QUEEN and King Candidates, Brianna Soutthivong, left and Eric Wenner, right.
SENIOR CLASS QUEEN and King Candidates, Jenny Wright, left and Jared Willaby, right.
MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES Michaela Cate, left, cannot control her laughter after she hears one of the jokes presented by Master of Ceremonies Samuel Xayanourom, right.
GERMAN FOREIGN EXCHANGE student at MLHS, Ann-Katrin Schultze, shares about her home country.
ALSO GIVING THE audience a few facts about his Kyrgyzstan homeland was MLHS foreign exchange student Vladislav Mikhailenko.
PROVIDING ENTERTAINMENT WITH his body-twisting dance moves to a remix of “Beat It” was Reynaldo Capetillo.
VARSITY WOLVERINE FOOTBALL team quad-captains (all of whom were King Candidates) pump up the pride about their gridiron season. From left, Logan Johnson, Jared Willaby, Eric Wenner and Benjamin Grev.
VOLLEYBALL TEAM TRI-Captains share about their season. From left, junior Carmen Syverson and seniors Melanie Adrian and Olivia Hopwood, a Queen Candidate.
CROSS COUNTRY TEAM co-captains – and Queen Candidates – Lydia Hildebrandt, left and Brianna Soutthivong, right, explain how their season of meets is progressing.
THE QUESTION THAT prompted the downhill slide for the King Candidates during the “Road Trip” Q & A Game Show was when they failed to answer correctly which road runs past Mountain Lake City Cemetery (it is 10th Street). Reacting to the blunder are, from left, Game Show Assistant Signey Stoesz and an accusatory Benjamin Grev, an observing Eric Wenner, a distressed Logan Johnson and an attempting-to-explain Jared Willaby. Junior Class Attendant Dylan Hanson, at back, has a laugh at the candidates’ expense.
THE QUEEN CANDIDATES pulled off the game show win, courtesy of their carefully-crafted brain trust. From left, Jenny Wright, Brianna Soutthivong, Olivia Hopwood, Lydia Hildebrandt – are prompted by a microphone-nosy Game Show Host Caleb Rempel.
BROOK SUNDERMAN, FRONT, onstage to crown the 2014 King, hammed up the royal honors a bit before revealing the new monarch, to the chagrin of King Candidates, from left, Jared Willaby, Eric Wenner, Logan Johnson and Benjamin Grev.
THE MAN WHO would be King, Eric Wenner, second from left, opted out of the pre-crowning holding of hands, although, from left, Jared Willaby, Logan Johnson and Benjamin Grev joined hands for support.
THE CROWNING MOMENT for King Eric Wenner, right, as he receives his royal recognition from Brook Sunderman, left.
LONG AND LEAN Tommy Kraemer, at right, onstage to do the tiara duties in presenting the new Queen, made the four candidates jump high for his “high five” wishes for good luck. From left, Candidates Jenny Wright, Brianna Soutthivong, Olivia Hopwood and Lydia Hildebrandt – and Kraemer.
THE MOMENT IS NEAR – and a new Queen is set to be crowned. Supporting each other as senior classmates and Queen Candidates are, from left, Jenny Wright, Brianna Soutthivong, Olivia Hopwood and Lydia Hildebrandt.
WITH GREAT CARE and concentration, Tommy Kraemer, left, gently places the bejeweled tiara on the head of the new queen, Jenny Wright, right.
PHOTO BOMBER BENJAMIN Grev, at left, leans in to share a piece of the limelight – and the photo shot – of Olivia Hopwood’s cell phone selfie with Logan Johnson.
THE MLHS ROYAL family, highlighted in the center by King Eric Wenner, seated left and Queen Jenny Wright, standing right. Family members include, from left, King Candidate Benjamin Grev, Queen Candidate Lydia Hildebrandt, King Candidate Jared Willaby, Queen Candidate Brianna Soutthivong, King Candidate Logan Johnson, Queen Candidate Olivia Hopwood, King Eric, Queen Jenny, Junior Class Attendants Dylan Hanson and Carly Fast, Sophomore Class Attendants Ruben Fentanez and Liana Blomgren and Freshmen Class Attendants A. J. Vongsy and Marta Stoesz. The annual Homecoming Coronation Ceremony is presented by the Mountain Lake Public High School Student Council, led by faculty members Kim Syverson and Jaime Banks.
