Photo Credit: Julie Joyner[/caption]On October 24, as the Panther football team headed to the field house during halftime, 15 girls paraded across the field in their heels. Each high school girl excitedly awaited the announcement of this year’s Homecoming Queen. Little did Megan Joyner know that she would be crowned the winner.
Joyner graciously accepted her crown and bouquet of roses, all while still in shock. She had not even expected to be on the court, claiming, “I was beyond excited and surprised when I heard that I had gotten on court. I always dreamed of joining my fellow seniors on the field at Homecoming, but I never expected it.” Joyner could not stop grinning that night, still overwhelmed by the outcome.
Being on Homecoming Court allows for a different perspective than most students have, and Joyner shared the details. “It was really cold and everyone was shivering. I have also never smiled for so many pictures before, but it was exhilarating.” Joyner also noted that her father, Chris Joyner, was more nervous than her. Overall, the experience was unique and one that she will always remember.
Photo Credit: Will Okun[/caption]The crowd at Auman Stadium watched with anticipation as the time was winding down until the homecoming announcement was made on October 24. By the time it was halftime and Megan Joyner was crowned the 2014 Homecoming Queen, the Orange Panthers had mounted a 35 to 0 lead over J.F. Webb.
The Panthers' first quarter scores came on a touchdown pass from Garrett Cloer to Eryk Brandon-Dean, a 2-yard run by Michael Bolden, a 15-yard run by Brandon-Dean and an 11-yard run by Cloer.
The Panthers' final score of the half would come on a 2-yard Bolden run, following a 45-yard pass from Cloer to a diving Austin Wood.
Orange dominated the entire contest in route to a 49 to 0 win that moved them to 9-0 overall and 5-0 in conference this season.
The Panthers travel to Raleigh to take on 6-2 Cardinal Gibbons on October 31 at 7 pm.
The tailgate was created in order to get students pumped up for the homecoming game and eat free food. Sami Dickerson, a newspaper writer, said, “It was fun and I enjoyed the food.” Rebecca Woodard said, “I got to hang out with my friends and eat great food.”
While everyone was eating they were also getting pumped up for the homecoming game afterwards. There was all kinds of music such as country, jazz, alternative, rap, and pop. A professional DJ was playing this music.
The newspaper staff, robotics club, and women’s basketball team showed up to this year’s tailgate to get pumped up for the homecoming game. They had tents with tables and food set up while students played corn hole. The robotics team showed off one of their very own robots at the tailgate.
Some students painted themselves at the tailgate in school colors to show their support. After the tailgate everybody headed into the football stadium to watch the Panthers play. OHS won against Northern Vance 56-0.
Photo Credit: Maddie Norwood[/caption]The first pep rally of the year instilled cheer in students’ hearts, Friday, October 4. All the sports teams for the fall were recognized and seniors on each team were recognized individually. Clubs showed off some of the things they had prepared during the pep rally such as the famous Kiss the Goat event. Chase Austin, a senior, was the emcee for the pep rally.
The OHS women’s tennis team was the first to go out during the pep rally. They were followed by cross country in which only two people were there to represent the team since a majority of them had left earlier to go to a meet. Varsity volleyball and varsity soccer were third and fourth to come out. Lastly, the football team and cheerleaders came out with much enthusiasm.
After the teams came out, Interact Club announced that Summer Anderson and Matthew Crabtree had won the Kiss the Goat competition. Both of them proudly took the honor and kissed a goat the ag members had chosen. SGA also showed off the spirit links that they had been selling. Each link was a quarter to buy and different colors represented the different classes. The seniors won overwhelmingly by having many more links.
Sankwon Reams performed a mixed martial arts sequence to music. He did flips, kicks, and other challenging moves. Julia Treis, a senior, said, “I thought what Sankwon did was good and really interesting.”
After Mr. Watters, the “Panther Boogie” singer, left OHS, a new song was necessary for the pep rallies. This song was created by Mr. Curry and it was a big hit. The pep rally concluded with people running onto the gym floor to participate in the Wobble.
The 45-minute pep rally was packed with excitement and it got people pumped up for the Homecoming game later that night. Haley Moser, a senior, said, “The pep rally was good, I thought it went better than past years. People seemed really into it.” Skylar Crabtree, also a senior, said, “The pep rally was different than usual and fun!”
The marching band opened up for the homecoming court at halftime of the varsity football game. The girls walked on the field, accompanied by one of their family members or friends. The freshmen were announced first, followed by sophomores and juniors. The band stopped playing when the seniors were announced. When the announcer declared that Robbins was the Homecoming Queen, the crowd went crazy. She was accompanied on the field by her father.
The Homecoming Queen from 2012, Emma Schmid, crowned Robbins while wearing her Homecoming Queen sash and crown. Robbins said, “I’m very excited and thankful to win Homecoming Queen this year. It is such an honor for me and I appreciate anyone who voted for me. I've never been on court before, and was shocked to even be elected, so winning was an even bigger shock to me! I am just very thankful and appreciative for everything.”
Robbins said, “I am loving my senior year so far. It's been a lot of fun with my friends, yet [it's] crazy to think I will graduate in a couple of months. I'm trying to enjoy every minute of it that I can.” Robbins is one of five seniors on the varsity volleyball team this year.
Kacie Chamberlain and Chase Underhill were also honored at the football game. Their parents walked out on the field. Underhill had a cowboy hat dedicated to him and Chamberlain's family received flowers.
Kacie Leann Chamberlain, a 16-year-old OHS junior, died Saturday in a car accident. She was an active student at Orange and she participated in multiple extracurricular activities. Kacie’s friends describe her as kind, outgoing, caring, bubbly, free-spirited, and friendly.She took US History, Chemistry, Agriculture, and Spanish. Chamberlain was a member of the OHS softball team. She was also number fourteen on Thunder, a fastpitch community softball team with no connection to OHS. Her positions on the team were the pitcher and outfielder. She was a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) club and New Horizon, a Christian church.
Chamberlain was on the OHS Homecoming Court each year she attended high school. She was elected in her freshman, sophomore, and junior years to the 2010, 2011, and 2012 courts.
Clements Funeral Service is planned her funeral, which took place Friday. The family requested that donations be made to the Kacie Chamberlain Scholarship Fund in lieu of flowers.
The Orange High School Panthers beat the Northern Vance Vikings on their home turf Friday, September 21. It was the Homecoming game for the Panthers and they led the team to victory by a dominating winning 48-7. OHS students showed their pride by wearing orange and black and cheering on the team.
At the beginning of the game, a moment of silence was held for senior Desean Motley's girlfriend, a student at Middle College High School at DurhamTech, who passed away after being involved in a car crash the night before. Motley told another newspaper that he was playing for her and representing her on the field.
The Panthers played so well that they barely let the Vikings score. During the first half of the game the score was tied, but later junior Patrick Pettiford put the Panthers back on top with the help of sophomore Juan Torres.
During halftime, the Homecoming Court nominees came out onto the field and the announcer proclaimed the 2012 Homecoming Queen, Emma Schmid. She was crowned by Anna Frederick, last year's homecoming queen.
Orange had a strong lead for the rest of the game. The crowd cheered and was overly excited as the Panthers dominated the field almost the entire time. The Panthers officially won the game, making their school proud.
Members of the Court are as followed:
Freshman - Aisha Mayo, Jada Whitted
Sophomores - Chesnie Boyce, Shakiya Jones, Tyler Woods
Juniors - Kacie Chamberlain, Nycol Lyons, Natalia Phillips
Prince and Princess: Vanessa Roberts escorted by Christopher Blacknell
Seniors - Brooke Copeland, Chasity Hayes, Emma Schmid, Grace Huskins, Indiana Reid-Shaw, Jamie Lea, Jordan Sneed, Karla Lozano, K'Lin Bradsher, MJ Bumgarner, Sonja Colson, Tyressa Smith
Before the game, Den Echoes met up with some members of the Homecoming Court to see how the girls were feeling. Most of them were nervous even though they weren’t seniors up for the winning spot. Kacie Chamberlain, a junior said, “It makes me feel proud that my junior classmates voted for me.”
Senior Emma Schmid said, “I would be really excited if I won Homecoming Queen, to know that enough people voted for me.”
Underclassman Tyler Woods, sophomore, said, “I’m happy and surprised that I’m in the homecoming court, I just hope that I don’t trip and fall on my face.” Luckily, that didn't happen and the evening went smoothly for all involved.
When asked about one of the two freshman, Aisha Mayo, said, “Being new to the school this year I am happy that my classmates voted for me, and that I get to be a part of the homecoming court this year!”
Mr. Marsh spent most of the pep rally announcing the senior athletes from each sports team. Some of the football players bumped chests with him or with their teammates. The cheerleaders lined up in two lines facing each other, and shook their pom-poms as the athletes ran between them. Sports that were announced included the cross-country team, volleyball team, and football team. The last team to be announced was the cheerleading team.
The biggest event at the pep rally was the flex contest. It took place at the end of the pep rally and it was the event students were most enthusiastic about. Two male students from each grade went to the middle of the auditorium and showed off their muscles, cheerleader jumps, and dancing ability. Students decided who the winners were by cheering, and Mr. Marsh decided that there was a three-way tie.
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Another popular event at the pep rally was when Mr. Marsh demonstrated the difference between how Orange plays football and how Northern Vance’s team plays football. When the OHS football team runs in reverse one person runs backward and throws the ball forward to another team member. When Northern Vance plays football the whole team shuffles backward together.
Students thought that the pep rally was better than the pep rallies last year. Josh Martin, a sophomore, said that the pep rally was “revolutionary.” Hannah Link, also a sophomore, said that it was “better than before.” Mr. Marsh thought that it went well, but it was long.
September 21, during halftime, the long awaited Homecoming Queen was named. Emma Schmid, a senior, ended up taking the crown. The crowd went crazy as they called her name and she looked very excited about the win.When Schmid was asked about her win she replied, “I was shocked!” She also said she was surprised.
If someone else could have won she would've guessed Chasity Hayes. Schmid wasn’t really sure why she had won but she was very honored that she did. At Orange High School she is involved with swim team and a part of the Honors Technical Society. After high school,her plans include going to the UNC- Wilmington. Although shy at times she has a very bubbly personality.
To win Homecoming Queen, every grade votes for the girl they want to be nominated in their own grade. Then, later, all grade levels vote for the senior they want to win. Only a senior can win Homecoming Queen. Schmid was against some very tough competitors such as Chastity Hayes, MJ Bumgarner, Grace Huskins, and Indiana Reid-Shaw.
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The dates are as followed:
Monday - Pajama Day
Tuesday - Wacky Tacky Day
Wednesday - Character Day
Thursday - Throwback Thursday/Blast from the Past
Friday - Country Fried Friday (Ag Day)
When Associate Principle Okun was asked about this change, he replied, "Traditionally it's during homecoming week - but we've never had it this early. We wanted to do it later, have a little more time to get ready for it and let the school year settle down a little bit too." Mr. Okun also foreshadowed an exciting week at Orange. "It's gonna be the week of the senior night football game, and we're also having a dance, all in the same week." He also adds, "SGA decides what days of spirit week we have."