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Grayson Blount - page 4

Grayson Blount has 19 articles published.

Music Midtown Rocks Piedmont Park

in Fine Arts by
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    Photo: Abby VanLandingham

Music Midtown was quite the event this year. Although it conflicted with both the homecoming football game and dance, many people still made the annual journey to Piedmont Park for Friday night and Saturday for great music and time with friends. With a lineup headlining Elton John, Van Halen and Drake, the crowd stayed boisterous and loud throughout the entire event. With music ranging from classic rock all the way to electric pop and rap, Music Midtown caters to a wide array of music enthusiasts and provides great opportunity to hear music in one of the most unique environments around.

Senior Mallory Grizzle was very excited for Music Midtown this year. She said, “I’ve been going for three years and it’s become a tradition for me. The lineup this year is a lot less popular, but I love it. Jack White won the show for me last year. I’m excited for Catfish & the Bottlemen, X Ambassadors and some other awesome acts this year.”   With small and large market artists playing this year, everyone is destined to find a show that is perfect for them.

A major headline of the event was the performance by Drake. Drake came to his show with new music, but also threw it back to his older songs upon which he began his road to stardom. He definitely appealed to both the young and old audiences.

Even though Music Midtown did not have many Wesleyan representatives this year, the few and brave that went had a great time. The weather throughout the entire weekend was stellar with sunshine and clear skies, and the performances were world class. Once again, Music Midtown did not disappoint.

Marching Wolves Ready to Shine

in Fine Arts by
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    Seniors (Left to Right): Patrick Ryan, Chase Kelly, Taylor Berg, Geoff Taylor, Yasmine Brooks and Andrew Strayhorn Photo: Brian Morgan

The Wesleyan Marching Wolves have worked tirelessly to prepare a fantastic show for halftime at the football games along with band exclusive competitions this fall. With endless hours of hard work and dedication, director Jeff Foster is very excited for this show because it is unique and has an artistic flair that has not been seen before by the Wesleyan band.

With the hard work starting in late June at band camp, the Marching Wolves have weathered the excessive heat of a Georgia summer and will continue all the way to the bitter cold of the late fall. Comradery and passion for their talents keep the band members in high spirit throughout the tough times of harsh temperatures or inclement weather. With practices lasting as long as eight hours in the summer, it takes more than just love for music to be a member of the band family.

There is a great teaching staff this year to assist the Foster. There are three “community coaches” who lead along with Foster. Brendan Taylor, Deidra Dobbelmann and Shelby Brooks have all sacrificed their personal time to come out to Wesleyan on a daily basis and help the Marching Wolves prepare for their competitions and halftime entertainment shows. Foster raves about his assistants saying, “They have all performed at such a high level in the world of music. Even higher than me.” Clearly, Foster has a strong staff to support him.

The show this year is titled, “Silver Lining,” and is very exciting and different from previous years. The show this year is performed more like a story, rather than a show. The show progresses from the whole band in black uniforms to white uniforms at the end. The overall theme of the show is that good can conquer bad, and also that there is always a positive side when all things seem negative. Foster is very adamant that this theme must be seen by the whole school because it is more than just a performance, but a message to the school. The members of the band are thrilled about the competition season, which begins in the end of October.

Drum major Jessie Roberts says, “Make sure you stay after the homecoming game next Friday to see our performance. You don’t want to miss out!” Roberts was correct because their full performance was marvelous and lived up to all expectations.  If you missed out on the debut performance, the Marching Wolves will be playing during halftime performances throughout the season.

Spirit App Boosts School Spirit

in News by

Spirit AppThe Wesleyan community is buzzing about the new release of the Spirit App for the iPhone and Android. Student government advisor, Brian Krehmeyer, is at the tip of the spear on this operation. Although he is still learning how to use the application in the most efficient and user-friendly way, he is on the verge of making major improvements such as push notifications that will inform the attendees on traffic, schedule changes and theme nights.

This new surge in school spirit has sprung about many fresh ideas such as the Wolf Pack club, which meets on Thursdays to make spirit items such as shakers or signs for games. Spanish teacher, Alex Bufton is sponsoring the new club and has brought a new energy to the student body and sports teams.

The way the Spirit App works is that the user checks in at the event and gains points that are added to both their individual and grade level point total. There are prizes periodically for the grade level with the highest point total such as donuts, jeans days, chicken biscuits or maybe even an exclusive grade lunch line for a day. The grand prize is a Six Flags season pass at the end of the year for the individual champion.

 

 

The Spirit App is also designed to accommodate the sports or events that historically have gathered fewer crowds and less attention. Those events will be worth more points to encourage the students to go out to games away from the Wesleyan campus. Other events will also be included on the Spirit App such as the famous “Red Carpet Premiere” and the “Coffee House.” The smart phone application is already beginning to bring more unity to the school and the student body, while also giving more support to sports teams across the board.

Krehmeyer is very excited about this new development in school spirit. When asked about the Spirit App, he said, “We were looking for a way to encourage the student body to ‘buy into events.’ We want to raise student awareness of events going around campus and to encourage participation and support all sports teams and major events. The Spirit App gives us the means to do this. It provides the students with an easy access to a calendar of major events and an incentive to support their friends and classmates by awarding them spirit points for their attendance.”

So far this year, attendance at many different sports has been significantly higher than in past years and is continuing to rise as the seasons wear on. Krehmeyer and Bufton both encourage the entire student body to continue to check their Spirit App for updates and upcoming events. The football games thus far are evidence that this new Spirit App is working wonders with the Wesleyan “Wolf Pack.”

Homecoming Costumes Could Not Disguise a Great Week

in News by
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    Kendall Dearth dresses as "Dearth Vador", while Maddie Jones is "Spiderman." PHOTO: Rebekah Middlebrooks
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    Camille High, Sydney Weissman, Caroline Hodges, Anna Mosley, and Ellie Hall dress up as inmates from the movie "Holes." PHOTO: Rebekah Middlebrooks
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    Patrick English (Kronk from "Emperor's New Groove") and Cedric Lynch (Superman) are judged by junior Ashley Godwin. PHOTO: Rebekah Middlebrooks

Homecoming week proved to be fun-filled. The dance, the student-faculty basketball game and beautiful weather for all activities on Friday all contributed to this year’s success. Student body president Chris Middleton said, “In my opinion, this year’s homecoming was the best in our school’s history.”

It was a great week. With costume days, pep rallies and a homecoming parade, the Wesleyan student body had many opportunities to express school spirit. With dress up days including “Hashtag Day,” “Stages of Life,” “Twin Day” and “Superheroes.” From freshmen to seniors, the students all heavily participated.

Junior, Patrick English, took home the crown for best costume this year as he dressed up as “Kronk” from “The Emperor’s New Groove.” There were many awesome costumes around the entire school, including the middle school and high school. Wesleyan’s homecoming week was, indeed, memorable this year.

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