He ate two angle worms for $1, she vandalized her grandmother’s basement, but tonight they were designated royalty by Kimball Area High School friends and peers at homecoming cornonation. Monday Holly Froehling and Luke Deutsch were just two of 10 homecoming-hopefuls selected by classmates. Tuesday they learned they were chosen by students in grades 8-12 to wear this year’s homecoming crowns. Both were proud to be selected. “All of the girls running were awesome. They are very special to me,” Froehling said. “Any one of these guys would have been good,” Deutsch said. “They are all good friends of mine.” An evening to remember Candidates walked into the dimly lit cafetorium, preceded by an introduction from emcees Sarah Wysoski and Carl. Froehling, a self proclaimed “couch potato” and Deutsch, a “short and sweet,” king, also had the benefit of being honored by their parents later in the evening. All of the candidates, including Amy Arnold, Gary Salmela, Brianna Libbesmeier, Jeremy Dahnke, Kelly Lochen, Zach Mackereth, Melana Marquardt, and Preston Looman were serenaded by junior high choir members. Other aural treats for the candidates included a flute solo by Jenna Stenger, accompanied by Lori Miller, and a doo wop dance favorite “Blue Moon” sung by Shawn Kendrick, Logan Bever, McCade Libby, and Justin Janish. Parents of candidates were invited to share special moments they had of their sons and daughters on the court. Froehling’s mother, Barb talked about how her daughter began developing her artistic flair at an early age, drawing all over her grandmother’s basement. She also mentioned her current human-formed art project. “It scared me when I came into the closet,” Barb said. Chuck Froehling remarked on one of Holly’s lesser known talents. “She is really good at asking for gas money.” According to Donna Deutsch the most outstanding aspect of Luke’s personality is his sense of humor and infectious laughter. “When he starts laughing, everybody else laughs; just watching him laugh is funny,” she said. Donna also said that the new king is a good eater, and he likes just about anything – even worms, but only on a dare. In the initial challenge, Deutsch was to eat one angle worm for $1. But a loophole in the dare left him hungry for more. “The girl (who dared him) said, ‘I didn’t see you eat it,’ so he ate another one, and made a buck,” Barb said. It is especially hard for Deutsch during wrestling season when he can’t eat as much. According to Barb, Luke has always liked sports and he also dappled in coaching at a very early age. “When Luke was younger he arranged his super heroes and his G.I. Joes in football plays. The Ninja Turtles were always in front on their hands and knees, because they were the biggest … I still wonder who won those games,” Barb said. As part of their royal duties Luke and Holly will throw out the first volleyball and football, respectively, at the upcoming games Thursday and Friday nights. “The girls (on the court) will also ride around in their dresses in the back of a truck during the football game,” Froehling said. Bringing it home While coronation is one highlight of homecoming week, the big event for most students will be the football game Friday. The Kimball Cubs will take on the Rockford Rockets at 7 p.m. Luke, a member of the football team, said the Cubs expect their first win of the season. “It is homecoming, we will just play better. We will get everyone pepped up,” Luke said. The school will celebrate Cub spirit in two pep fests, at 2:50 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The first will honor Kimball volleyball while the second will recognize the football team. ‘Nothing else mattered’ while homecoming was underway Every year, KAHS seniors unite to determine a theme for the homecoming coronation. This year, the senior class selected, “Nothing else matters” by Metallica. “We usually use a song title as a theme,” said Howard Bahn, senior class advisor. “Then we play this song as the candidates walk in [to coronation].” At the homecoming planning meeting, seniors also decided which coveted few would represent the class as homecoming candidates. The senior class also chose silver and black as its colors. The cafetorium stage was elegantly decorated in these colors. Each candidate’s chair displayed silver tinsel. The theme was displayed at the edge of the stage. A silver backdrop shone behind the king and queen, and theme-colored balloons were spaced throughout. Bahn said that this class is unique from other classes he has worked with. “I would say that they are a very talented class. They have the largest college calculus class with 17 kids. This is a very challenging class, that shows these students are very ambitious.” Despite being a highly ambitious and diversified bunch, they were able to come together to make the coronation night a success. Bahn indicated that teamwork is one of the most important aspects of homecoming. “Homecoming really is a unifying thing,” Bahn said. “Sometimes kids don’t get together and see themselves as one group. But during homecoming, it is a common thing for kids to come together as Cubs. It is a whole school thing. It really sets a good tone for the rest of the year.”
