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Caroline Hodges - page 3

Caroline Hodges has 16 articles published.

A Wesleyan Love Story

in Features by

Christian Stark, Class of 2015, is a man of many talents; some remember him as the Homecoming King, some for his athletic abilities, others for his winning smile, but his greatest attribute is his match-making expertise.

A match made in Wesleyan, the wedding that occured on Dec. 5th between Spanish teacher, Gabi Martinez, and Stark’s cousin, Cameron Grogan, would not have happened if Stark had not been certain that these two would be perfect for each other and would not stop until they knew that too.

Christian Stark was Martinez’s student in three different classes, and after getting to know her, he realized that he had the perfect man for her, his cousin. When a teenager sets two people up, it is usually just for fun, but unlike the usual high school set up, this relationship resulted in a marriage. Stark talked to Martinez during his free period, telling her that he had someone for her to meet. Stark says that Martinez was reluctant when he first introduced the idea, but Stark went along with his plan anyway. He told his cousin that there was a teacher that he should call and gave him Martinez’s phone number. Cousin called Martinez and set up a coffee date, and it “went well from there.”

Grogan decided to ask Martinez to marry him on Wesleyan’s campus because the people at Wesleyan played such a big role in Martinez’s life and in their story. Stark helped Grogan by bringing roses to Martinez’s classroom, saying that Grogan had dropped them off for her for Valentine’s Day. He then told her that there was another surprise waiting for her and that Martinez needed to follow him. Stark lead Martinez and her class up to the quad, where Grogan was waiting with a letter and a ring. After Martinez read his heartfelt letter, Grogan got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. The students exploded into cheers and cries for the happy couple, and a few student ran to the intercom to announce that “Mrs. Martinez just got engaged!” The engagement between Grogan and Martinez is a beautiful memory on Wesleyan’s campus.

The wedding took place on Dec. 5th on a magestical avocado grove in Florida, and Stark was a groomsman in the wedding. Martinez was a stunning bride to no surprise, and her and Grogan’s first dance as husband and wife was “You and I” by John Legend, sung by Martinez’s cousin, Enrique De Solo. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Grogan!

Wesleyan Students Love SharpTop Cove

in News by

A large group of Wesleyan students went to SharpTop Cove, a Young Life camp in Jasper, Georgia. They enjoyed dancing, listening to musician Tim Halperin, going to club each night to hear speaker Will Aker and playing various games around the camp.

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Homecoming Dance a Success; King and Queen Announced

in News by

The 2015 Homecoming Dance got off to a great start thanks to the DJs, Trevor Bramblett and Jonathan Pickens. As the night went on, the music intensified—starting with swing dancing music, and progressing to more upbeat, modern music.

Freshmen had various expectations prior to the dance. When asked about his anticipations for the dance, freshman, Andrew Pridgen said, “My expectations were for the dance to be crowded, but a lot of fun. My expectations were definitely met; I had tons of fun, and my favorite part was hanging out with my friends for the whole night.”

Like Pridgen, freshman, Ansley Cotter, said, “I’d have to say my expectations were pretty high, since I had heard a lot of talk about how amazing the dance was from the other grades, and my expectations were definitely met! I had so much fun dancing with friends, and the music was great. That night will certainly be one I’ll remember for a long time! My favorite part was probably when the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song remix came on, which was a special surprise.”

However, some ninth graders had lower expectations, like freshman, Annie Cowart, who said, “I had pretty low expectations for the dance. The only thing that I was actually excited for was dressing up and the DJ’s because I saw pictures beforehand and…” The freshmen girls agree with Cowart on how cute the DJs were, based on their Instagrams. Cowart was pleasantly surprised after the dance, saying, “My expectations were blown away at the actual dance part because of the music. The DJ’s were amazing and played really cool music the whole time, and it was really fun jumping around all night.”

The seniors were also excited about how fun the dance was. This was their fourth and final Homecoming Dance, and many said it was the best one yet. Senior, Chandler Marsh, said, “The dance was awesome, it was my favorite homecoming dance that we have ever had. The DJs were really hot and really good which made the dance even better. I liked it more this year because all of our grade was really into it which made it even more fun.”

On Friday, September 18th, seniors, Kylie Reed and Tucker Cannon, were announced as the 2015 Homecoming Queen and King. When asked about their experiences on Friday, Reed said, “It was a really fun night. I was so excited, and I’m glad I got to share that experience with my dad and friends. Definitely a night worth remembering!” and Cannon said, “It was cool to receive that kind of recognition from my high school peers. I loved sharing the moment with my sister who came back from Alabama to escort me. It was really special because I escorted her last year when she was on the court. Winning the football game also made it ten times better.” Congratulations Kylie and Tucker!

Kylie Reed and Tucker Cannon after being announced Homecoming Queen and King.
Kylie Reed and Tucker Cannon after being announced Homecoming Queen and King. Photo by Brian Morgan.

The 2015 Homecoming Court included freshmen, Lexi Jerding and Stevie Crawford, sophomores, Kat Hughes and Josh Payne, juniors, Abby Gardner and Bailey Renfroe, and seniors, Maggie Borbone, Sheridan Davenport, Anna Mosley, Elizabeth Ostwalt, Kylie Reed, Tucker Cannon, JT Eigel, Tyler Harper, Ryan Hughes and Abrazz Khan.

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