(PHOTO BY JACOB KESSLER, STAFF)
Pettisville High School held their annual Homecoming event on Saturday, January 22nd. The Homecoming Court started to enter the gym at 5:10 p.m. under the darkened gymnasium lights.
Family and friends filled the gym to watch the court as they were introduced and to see the crowning of the king and queen.
The Freshman escort Caden Bishop is the son of Paul and Mandy Bishop and the older brother of Ryan, Lainey, and Molly. He is involved in golf, cross country, basketball, baseball, FCA, is the Freshman Class President and is involved in Youth Group Worship Band.
One of his most embarrassing moments in school is when hie was trying to take his sweatshirt off before the start of a cross country race and the gun was already fired.
He was about ten seconds behind everyone else. His biggest inspiration is his parents because they always work hard at everything they do, and he tries to do the same.
In Caden’s opinion the best movie is Field of Dreams because he likes baseball, and it is really just a good movie. His favorite songwriter/singer/group is either George Strait or Brooks and Dunn.
A song that best describes him is Free and Easy Down the Road I go. Caden’s dream vacation is to go to Hawaii and see a volcano and swim in the ocean.
If he could go back in time, he would go, and watch Michael Jordan play basketball.
Caden’s favorite subject in school is Ag and some of his favorite memories in high school so far include hanging out with his friends. After high school he is not sure what he would like to do.
Olivia Miller was the freshman homecoming attendant. She is the daughter of Terry and Amy Miller. She has five siblings, Samantha, Taylor, Zach, Jacob, and Madison.
She is involved in Volleyball, basketball, Softball, FCA, FFA, Spanish Club, 4-H and LYF Church Group. She is also the Freshman Class Treasurer.
One of her most embarrassing moments is when she was running from her grandma’s car at the baseball/softball diamond parking lot and there was a hole that she didn’t see. She tripped, fell and mooned the crowd in the parking lot.
After high school Olivia would like to go to college but is still unsure what she would like to do. Her biggest inspiration is her parents because of all their love and support.
Another inspiration in her life is her brother Zach. Zach was the one who put a basketball in her hands when she was little and started her love for the game.
Olivia’s favorite subjects in school are Math and Ag. In her opinion, the best movie is McFarland USA. She thinks the story is truly inspirational because of the perseverance of the inexperienced teen runners with a strong work ethic and commitment to their cross-country team which helped them become the state champions.
It proves that hard work does pay off. Her favorite music artist is Luke Combs and a song that best describes her is Hometown Girl by Josh Turner. If Olivia could go back in time, she would go visit her Grandpa Grime (Grimm) and Grandpa Miller to give them a big hug.
One of her favorite memories from high school is when Mr. Poulson sang the Garden Weasel Song. Her dream vacation is anywhere where there is a beach.
Zach Morris was the sophomore escort and is the son of Kerry and Matt and brother to Ben and Josh Morris. He is involved in his church’s youth group soccer, track and field, basketball and theater. One food Zach could not live without is Sushi.
His favorite subject in school is gym and an embarrassing moment of his is when he was running a sprint in track practice, and he went off the block and into the ground face first. Zach’s biggest inspiration is his older brother Ben.
He has always been his role model and has been there for him when things aren’t going well. The best movie in his opinion is The Princess Bride because it has a fantastic plot and is hilarious.
Zach would like to go back in time right before Covid hit because everything was going well for him.
His favorite musical artist is Ed Sheeran and a song that best describes him is Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish.
One of his favorite memories from high school is when Coach Leppelmeier told him that he was on varsity for the basketball season. After high school he plans to attend the University of Michigan to study medicine.
Ashlynn Lugbill was this year’s sophomore attendant. She is the daughter of Jeff and Karen and a sister to Elaina. She is involved with Volleyball, Softball, and Science Fair.
She attends Crossroads Wauseon Youth Group, is an FCA Leader, FCCLA Officer, and is the Sophomore Class Secretary. One food she cannot live without is sushi.
Her most embarrassing moment was during a fire drill after her knee surgery and she was using an electric scooter to get around and was not allowed to use the elevator due to the fire drill, so she had to hop across the classroom and halfway down the stairs before Mr. Lane said he forgot to tell her she could stay upstairs.
While she doesn’t enjoy geometry, Ashlynn’s favorite subject in school is math. Ashlynn’s parents inspire her the most because they are hardworking and encouraging and are always pushing her to do her best.
The best movie, in her opinion, would be something marvel because they all have enjoyable comedy and action, and the plots are always interesting and well developed.
If she could go back in time, she would meet her great grandparents who passed before she was born because she was always told she would have loved her.
Her favorite songwriter is NF, and her dream vacation would be a trip to Greece.
Her favorite memory from high school is volleyball season. A song that best describes her is “young, dumb, and broke” by Khalid (Kahleed). After high school she plans to attend college or possibly a med school.
Jaret Beck was the junior homecoming escort and is the son of Reggie and April Beck and brother to Leah and Jamison. Jaret is involved in basketball, soccer, Noteworthy, choir, FFA, and youth group.
One food he cannot live without is bacon and ham from Michael Shrock’s pigs. His most embarrassing moment was in 5th grade, when he tripped over a chair while trying to get a tissue and fell, and Mr. Mansfield was laying on the ground, laughing at him.
His biggest inspiration is Brian Leppelmeier, because he wants to be like him and score 1000 points. Jaret’s favorite school subject is lunch.
In his opinion, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is the best movie, because it has Dwayne the rock Johnson and Kevin Hart in it.
If he could go back in time, Jaret would go back to junior high and tell the older classes not to abuse having phones in school, so phones would still be allowed. His favorite singer/songwriter is either Gunna or Ariana Grande.
Jaret’s dream vacation would be somewhere where the weather doesn’t go from 50 degrees and sunny to 15 degrees and snowing in the same day.
His favorite memory from high school is having a beautiful, amazing girlfriend. The song that best describes him is “You Can’t Touch This.” After high school, Jaret plans to get a college degree and get married.
Leah Beck was the junior attendant and is the daughter of Reggie and April. She is also a sister to her twin Jaret and younger brother Jamison.
Leah is involved in North Clinton Youth Group, FCA, FFA, NHS, Noteworthy, volleyball, basketball, Defiance Club volleyball, piano lessons, and school musicals.
One food that Leah could not live without is dill pickles, because they are so good. Her most embarrassing moment was when she got called down to the office because her cat was at the school, and she had to take it home during lunch.
The worst part was the weird looks she got while carrying her cat around and the fact that no one has let her live it down yet. Leah’s biggest inspiration is her youth group leader, Jamie, because she loves Jesus and sets a great example for how to live her life for Him.
Her favorite school subject is history. The best movie in her opinion is Nacho Libre, because it’s funny in a dumb way.
If she could go back in time, Leah would like to meet Paul the Apostle to ask him questions about the books of the Bible he wrote. She would also like to see her Grandpa King one more time. Her favorite singers/bands are Pitbull, T-Pain, and Maverick City Music.
Leah’s dream vacation is anywhere warm with her family or friends. Her favorite memories from high school are getting frosties with Jess, Mikayla, Heather, Alli, and Ellie after basketball games her freshman year and going to Indianapolis with Noteworthy.
The song that best describes her is “I Like to Move It,” because she is always dancing or fidgeting. After high school, she is considering doing a year of mission work and then attending college for a science major.
Zakkai Kaufmann was the Senior Escort this year. He is the son of Shaun and Carrie and brother to Skiler, Malachi, and Benaiah. He is involved in Soccer and Basketball.
His biggest inspiration is the Ender Dragon because it reminds him that he has to defeat the big boss. Zakkai enjoys playing Minecraft and his dream vacation is playing Minecraft at Jaret’s house. One food he could not live without is the school’s meatloaf.
While Zakkai has no embarrassing moments from high school, his favorite memory was when he missed the ACT. His favorite subject in school is 3:05 pm.
The best movie in his opinion is Land Before Time, as nothing compares to it. Zakkai would not go back in the past, instead he would go to the future and grab a sports almanac and go to present day and become rich.
His favorite musical artist is Juice Wrld and a song that best describes him is ‘Ice, Ice Baby. After high school, Zakkai plans to become a journeyman lineman.
Emma Salmi was the Senior Homecoming Attendant. She is the daughter of Dustin and Betsy Salmi and older sister to Allison, Asher, and Azalea.
She is involved in FFA, FCA, youth group, and is the senior class secretary. Her favorite school subjects are Ag and English.
One embarrassing moment of hers is when she was on recycling duty, and she could not open the door. She climbed through one of the openings and later found out that the door was unlocked the entire time.
One food Emma could not live without is Reese’s peanut butter cups. One of her favorite memories from high school is thinking “garbagio” was Spanish for trash.
Emma’s biggest inspiration is her sister Allison. Allison inspires her not to be the most gullible person on the planet.
The best movie in her opinion is The Chosen because the actors depict Jesus and his disciples so well. Emma has no intention of going back to the past because she enjoys living each day to the fullest.
Emma’s dream vacation is to travel the US and visit famous landmarks. Her favorite band is ‘Shane and Shane’ and a song that best describes her is Overcomer by Mandisa.
The 2022 homecoming king was Josh Basselman, son of Jen and Steve and brother to Zach. Josh is involved in cross country, basketball, baseball, and youth group.
One food he could not live without is Taco Bell’s crunch wrap supreme.
His most embarrassing moment is when Mr. Bishop asked him which was bigger, the Earth or the moon, and he answered the moon.
His plans after high school are undecided, but he is considering entering the workforce. His biggest inspirations are his parents, because they push him to be his best. His favorite subject in school is 3:05 p.m.
In his opinion, the best movie is Tommy Boy, because it shows that even the biggest idiots can still get things done in style.
If Josh could go back in time, he would go to any time before covid, because stuff was actually fun when we could do anything, especially midnight taco bell runs and Walmart at 3am with the boys.
His favorite singer/band is Gunna or Lil Uzi Vert. His dream vacation would be playing Minecraft at Jaret’s house.
His favorite memories from high school are the multiple talks he had with Mr. Lane for breaking multiple rules. The song that best describes Josh is 7 Rings by Ariana Grande.
This year’s Homecoming Queen was Karsen Pursel, daughter of Jay and Karla Pursel, sister to Justin, Jordyn, and Kendal. Karsen is involved in Volleyball, Track, FFA, 4-H, and her church’s youth group.
One food that Karsen could not live without is Peanut Butter. Karsen’s favorite movie is elf because Christmas is her favorite time of year.
If she could travel back in time, she would have all of her family move to North Dakota. Karsen’s favorite singer is Luke Combs and a song that best describes her is “Here’s a Quarter (Call someone who cares) by Travis Tritt.
One of her most embarrassing moments is when she poked herself with a needle in Ag class. They were learning how to do shots in bananas and she tried to hide it from Mr. Poulson but was bleeding too much.
Her favorite subject in school is lunch and one of her favorite memories from high school is going to the FFA National Convention her sophomore year.
After high school, Karsen Plans to attend Owens Community College to get her associates degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
Karsen’s biggest inspirations are her parents and Jessica McWatters. Her parents inspire her because of their constant love, support and encouragement with everything she does.
Jessica inspires her because she is always willing to step out of her comfort zone and interact with new people and learn new things.
She is also very passionate about everything she does. Karsen’s dream vacation is Emerald Lake, in British Columbia Canada.
Lacey Short was the Homecoming Princess this year. She is the daughter of Adam and Whitney Short and sister to Gage. Lacey has a pet dog named Sally.
Her favorite activity to do in school is play Legos and during recess she likes to run and play tag with her friends. Lacey’s favorite colors are pink and purple.
Her favorite snack to eat is chocolate chip cookies. Her favorite TV show is Daniel Tiger.
Benaiah Kaufmann is the Homecoming Prince. He is the son of Shaun and Carrie Kaufmann and younger brother to Skiler, Malachi, and Zakkai. Benaiah’s favorite activity to do in school is play tag with his friends.
His favorite color is red and favorite snack to eat is watermelon. Benaiah’s favorite TV show is Gabby cats.
After the ceremony concluded, members of the Homecoming Court came out of the gym to take pictures with friends and family.
They were also present throughout the JV and Varsity basketball games. It was a good night for the students of Pettisville.
(PHOTOS PROVIDED BY PHIL KING)