ORHS Homecoming queen, king crowned
Oak Ridge High School students Jaylin Senk and Grayson Strader were crowned the 2022 Homecoming king and queen Friday on Blankenship Field during halftime of the ORHS-Lenoir City game.
Jaylin is the daughter of Amy Senk and Christopher Thomas. Jaylin is involved heavily in the school through the Wild Band, the ORHS Indoor Drumline, the Wildcat Mentor program, and National Honors Society, according to a brief biography sent to the newspaper last week from ORHS. She has also just taken a position as the president of HOSA, a Health Science club at the high school. Outside of school, she works two jobs. She has been a cashier at the local Food City for two years and has recently started working at Tri-County Small Animal Hospital as an assistant. She also leads students in worship every Wednesday night at Calvary Baptist. She spends her free time with family and friends, usually on a walk or hike. She plans to double major in education and nursing.
Grayson is the son of Jana and Scott Strader. His bio states that Grayson attended Tate’s School and moved to Jefferson Middle School in sixth grade. He has been on the ORHS basketball team for four years. Grayson enjoys playing music and he plays drums in the band Solstice. The group has been playing together for three years. Grayson has been a Wildcat Mentor since he was a junior. Grayson is also a member of the ORHS club, Wildcats for Change. He joined the club his sophomore year. Grayson likes playing basketball, writing and performing music, and spending time with friends. He plans to attend a four-year university with an interest in exercise science.
The Homecoming Court members are listed below with their biographies.
Nevaeh Clark has been involved in the NJROTC program for all four years of high school. In the program, she has been involved in numerous community services, fundraisers, and color guard. She is also involved in the programs’ drill, exhibition, and academic team. Her involvement led her to be the administration officer of the program, as well as a platoon commander for the NJROTC annual military inspection. She has also showed her leadership abilities by being selected to be a Wildcat Mentor, a new student ambassador, and a student council representative. She spends free time in the kitchenba king for her family and friends. She is planning on going to the University of Tennessee and majoring in statistics to become a statistician in the medical field.
Kannon Green is the daughter of Paige Taylor and Aaron Green. Kannon moved to Oak Ridge and started kindergarten at Glenwood Elementary and attended Jefferson Middle School. She has been a member of the varsity basketball team at ORHS for four years and is the team captain this year. Kannon was one of five students who founded Wildcats for Change at ORHS. She originated the Back to School Bash, Game Night, and the Trunk or Treat. Kannon has also been a Wildcat Mentor since her sophomore year. She is the only sophomore to be chosen as a Mentor. She was inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior. Throughout high school, Kannon has been an active member of Young Life and has attended three Young Life camps. Through the YLD-CIP class at ORHS, Kannon volunteered for a semester in a second-grade classroom at Glenwood last spring. She is currently volunteering in a kindergarten classroom this semester and will volunteer with a first-grade classroom next semester, both at Glenwood. She enjoys giving back to her elementary school, learning from some of the greatest teachers, and working with the kids. Kannon loves to read and enjoys art, music, friends, shopping, and movies. Kannon plans to be an elementary school teacher and hopes to attend the College of Charleston.
Maryssa Mixon was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Oak Ridge, where she attended Glenwood Elementary, and Jefferson Middle. Softball, basketball, trombone, and tuba playing occupied a lot of her time leading to high school. Maryssa is an officer in the HOSA club and participates in Interact Club. Her time spent at Lincoln Memorial University in dual enrollment gross anatomy and her love for animals led to her position at a local vet clinic. She hopes to become a physician's assistant. Her top three school choices are UT, LMU and Emory University.
Riley Gelb, the daughter of Dan Gelb and Leslie McDermott, has lived Oak Ridge her whole life. She attended Woodland Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School, and is now an ORHS senior. She is involved with many clubs and extracurriculars at school, including National Honors Society, Ski and Snowboard Club, Interact Club, and Wildcat Mentors. Throughout high school, she has worked part time for establishments throughout the community, while also maintaining a 4.49 GPA and succeeding in mostly honors and Advanced Placement courses. Riley likes to spend her free time skiing, working, and hanging out with friends and family. She plans to focus on pre-medical studies at a four-year university.
Joshua Luttrell is the son of Jennifer Luttrell and John Luttrell. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas and moved to Oak Ridge when he was a toddler. He attended St Mary’s School and Jefferson Middle School. He started playing football at a young age continuing into high school, however his junior year he made the difficult decision to quit football and focus on academics. His Wildcat loyalty is still displayed every game night while he rallies the crowd as student section leader. Fellowship is important to him and he interacts with the Young Life program as often as he can. When he isn't at school or working, he is spending time with friends and family. He enjoys music and being outdoors with snowboarding and fishing being his two favorite activities. Josh plans to earn a medical degree and pursue a career as a critical care physician.
Kaleb Sluss is the son of Stephanie and Clifton Sluss. He has been in Oak Ridge Schools since the third grade. During this time, he has participated in the Robertsville Middle and ORHS bands as a saxophone player, and now one of two drum majors. He is also in ROTC, where he holds the position of cadet executive officer. In Scouts, he is the troop guide and helps to lead the troop. He spends his free time driving and working out with the Marine recruiters. After high school, he hopes to attend The Citadel in South Carolina on an ROTC scholarship and later commission into the Marine Corps.
James Crowley was born in Oak Ridge. He is involved at the high school with commitments in Interact Club and New Student Ambassadors. His involvement in NJROTC has grown each year of his enrollment in the program. He currently holds a petty officer 2nd class rank. In NJROTC, he serves on both exhibition teams, the drill team, and is the athletic team commander. His community involvement and participation in the Leadership Academy this past summer contributed to him being Cadet of the Month in August.
Liam Spence was born in Oregon and raised in Tennessee since the age of 5. After running cross country for four years between middle and high school, Liam now devotes most of his time to performing in the front ensemble of the Oak Ridge Wildband and Indoor Percussion, as well as oboe in the concert band. Liam has developed a passion for art and greatly enjoys expressing himself through paint and pens. He is a member of National Honors Society and attends various clubs including GSTA (Gay, Straight, Trans Alliance) and German club, where he actively involves himself with the community and his peers. Liam plans to pursue global studies and linguistics beyond high school.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: ORHS Homecoming queen, king crowned
