Lilly Gray and Charles Loos:
Charlie and Lilly are some amazing additions to our school, especially to this year’s homecoming court. You’ll often hear them laughing before you even see their faces, as they’re always making a joke that matches the vibe perfectly or reminiscing over one of their many memories together.
Even though Charlie isn’t involved in too much, his dedication shines clearly through his involvement in one club here at MHS.
“I’ve been involved in Model UN for the last three years, and am excited to continue my involvement in my senior year, adding to the many great experiences I’ve already gained from the club,” Charlie said.
A bit more on the athletic side of things, Lilly has been involved in a few sports throughout her time here and is equally excited to continue them this coming school year, along with a few other organizations.
“In the past, I was a part of FFA, and currently I am involved in softball, volleyball, NHS, and Key Club,” she said.
When not actively participating in these Muskie groups, both Lilly and Charlie enjoy sitting on the sidelines to watch their friends.
Lilly said, “It’s always fun to dress up and get others to dress up with you, as it is a fun activity and makes great memories, but also brings the spirit to the school. It’s important to create positive energy and make sure everyone is having fun and feels welcome.”
Charlie added to this idea, saying, “I show up to school with a positive attitude and do my best to keep the positive energy going in classes, activities, and especially on game days. It is important that all of us Muskies show up to support one another.”
The mindset they both have is exactly how they became a part of this group. Over the last four years, they have built the community that voted for them and are extremely grateful for everyone who is cheering them on during this journey. Because of this, Charlie and Lilly would greatly appreciate your vote to make them this year’s King and Queen.
As Charlie said it best, “Lilly and I have gone to school with each other since kindergarten, and our friendship has always been fun and lighthearted. Your votes would be highly appreciated by both of us, and it’s our way to honor all of our teachers from Mulberry who helped us get to where we are today. Also, we are the funniest people you will ever meet, and we’d love for all of you to vote for us, and it would mean the world.”
Kensley Paul and Andrew Franke:
Kensley and Andy are truly the best couple you’re ever going to find. They are amazing people individually, of course, but somehow become even more perfect when together.
Kensley has many great qualities, all of which are shown through her Muskie spirit and overall attitude in and out of school.
“I try to show my school spirit by showing up and being involved in events. But, also, just being a good person in school by being kind to people, and being outgoing by talking to people who maybe are shy and trying to get them out of their comfort zone,” she said.
Being very involved also helps her do this often, as she is constantly engaged in something.
“I am involved in Cross Country, Basketball, Track, Softball, and NHS. I am also the president of the Muscatine FFA chapter, and I do Sweetland 4H.”
For Kensley, she is most honored to know that being her truest self at all times has gotten her so far.
“It means a lot to me because it shows me that my acts aren’t going unnoticed. I try my best to get people involved, whether it’s sports or FFA, and it’s kind of rewarding in a way that people appreciate what I am doing,” she said.
For Andy, the same thing applies.
“It is cool and all [being on homecoming court], but I think it stands out more to the fact that you can interact with a bunch of people and kind of get to know everybody in the school and not be friends with just one group. Like, I’m not just friends with my wrestling buddies, I know kids from Band, Orchestra, and other sports like soccer. It just shows how you can embody what MHS stands for and really just be a good person,” he said.
His involvement is shown most through his wrestling, but also in a few other things, all of which have proved to be a great outlet to both improve himself and help others do the same.
“I’m in wrestling, NHS, and I’m also a part of the FFA here in Muscatine. Alongside that, I help referee down at L&M for tournaments, so just kind of helping the youth in terms of wrestling.”
Through their activities, Kensley and Andy try their very best to represent MHS in a positive way.
“I think a lot of how I represent MHS is performance-based. So, going and doing well in wrestling helps me to represent the school as a whole. We have really strong school spirit, and so we can rally behind one person and get them going, just like they do for me,” Andy said.
“I pride myself in doing well and upholding our title, especially considering our reputation for things like FFA,” Kensley added.
If you’re just now realizing how great this couple is, you’re a bit late to the game, as they had this realization back in elementary school. But, no matter when you figured this out, they would love your vote to help them become King and Queen.
“We went from friends to lovers. It all started when we shared a locker in second grade at Grant. But really, vote for us because we really do care about people. We try our best to just be nice and involve everyone. We are both fairly outgoing people, and we just want the best for our classmates and for the student body as a whole. We both support each other in everything, even if it’s not our thing, something we keep going to everyone around us too,” Kensley said.
“I think as a couple, we show how if you stick with your best friend through thick and thin, it’s just going to be super important,” they agreed.
Mia Molina and Eric Romo:
Mia and Eric are another great option for King and Queen. As student section leaders, you will find them showing their Muskie spirit at every game, always dressed on theme and yelling as loud as they can.
On top of being student section leaders, Mia is involved in “Softball, Cross Country, NHS,” and Eric is on the MHS Varsity Soccer team.
Sports are obviously their passion, helping them to be some amazing leaders for the school. Their dedication to their practice on top of schoolwork is commendable and definitely shows for their overall spirit.
“I think being a good homecoming King or Queen is like having a good personality, having good morals, and just spreading positivity. Being on the court is just an awesome experience. I am very grateful, and I’m just enjoying the moment with everyone I am surrounded by,” Mia said.
Eric added, “Being close with your peers and just being nice to everyone and the community around you is so important. I am very grateful too, even just knowing that my peers voted for me to be on this is amazing. For these two weeks, just having a lot of fun with it is great as well.”
Humble in their promotion to homecoming court, they will be grateful for your vote, but definitely not expecting it.
McKenna Schumaker and Davian Lopez:
Representing the MHS music department specifically, Davian and McKenna are amazing candidates. Their character shows in everything they do, and their dedication to not only bettering themselves, but those around them, without even trying, because it truly is just them.
“I feel like being nominated to homecoming court is really based on the way that you have treated people throughout the four years, how your classmates view you, and like the positive energy you have. So, I’m kind of honored that people see me as someone to represent our class,” McKenna said.
Between her overall personality and crazy involvement at MHS, McKenna has many supporters that she is extremely grateful for.
“I am in Choir and all of its extra things, Social Media Manager for Choir, Student Council as the Student Body President, member of Tri-M, BPA, Theatre, NHS, and Principal Advisory Committee. I am also the 2026 School Board Representative and Chief Editor of the Yearbook, and used to be a part of both FFA and Key Club,” she said.
Davian is in “Mariachi, Show Choir, Student Council, Orchestra, and BPA.” And, even if this doesn’t seem like much in comparison, he feels that means even more towards his nomination.
“You don’t really need to be some outspoken person to be on court, you just have to be nice to everybody,” he said.
When it comes to showing their Muskie pride, neither McKenna nor Davian is shy.
Davian does this best by “Not just showing up, but going all out when it comes to cheering and dressing up.”
In fact, most of the time, you will find these two nearly unrecognizable in their game day gear or talking to just about everyone at the game.
This is true for McKenna, especially, as she added, “So, I’m kind of a big talker. I just like to engage with people and build a bond with the students at our school to make them feel welcome here. I really do appreciate everyone and try my best to support them.”
In the end, these two are just so happy to be experiencing this opportunity, but would of course be worthy of your vote for King and Queen.
“You don’t have to vote for me because I am really just honored to be here. I am just so happy to experience the things I have been doing for other nominees over the past couple of years for myself, and that’s great,” McKenna said.
“I didn’t really expect to be on the court, so being a nominee at all is amazing. But, if you were to vote for me, which you don’t have to at all, it would hopefully because I show kindness to everyone, even people I don’t really know. If people talk badly about me, I don’t hold that against them and I just treat them like I treat everyone else,” Davian added.
Calina Fox and Spencer Biah:
Last, but definitely not least, are Calina and Spencer. For these two, the idea that their peers thought of them when it came to the nominations truly means the most.
“I am honored to be on homecoming court. I was not expecting to be one of the nominees, and obviously, I am so grateful to have been chosen. I just feel so blessed that when people went through the form, they thought of me, and I just want to show them exactly why they did think of me. I want to show them I am a great person to have on court,” Calina said.
Spencer thought the same, adding, “It just shows that a lot of peers thought of you. I think it’s a good experience as well.”
Spencer is currently a part of “Basketball, BPA, and Cross Country,” while Calina is found playing tennis for the first time, participating in NHS, a bit of Key Club, and Model UN, and of course, one of your four student section leaders.
That last title is especially important to Calina.
“I am one of the four lucky student section leaders at MHS, and I think I was picked because I show my spirit so much. I carry my Muskie pride like no other. I think I show respect all the time, and I feel like I just embody school spirit all the time without even thinking about it,” she said.
Spencer does the same thing, just in the stands rather than in front of them.
“I just attend the games when I don’t have something myself. Really, just showing up and being involved is what matters to me.”
These amazing members of the homecoming court just add to the difficulty of choosing the King and Queen, as they are also very deserving.
“Obviously, the reason people vote for me is their own, but maybe do it because I am a great leader of MHS, and being Queen would make me feel great, but also give others the idea that you don’t need to be involved in everything to get here. Being on court has just made us all realize that when we were being ourselves, it stood out to people more than we ever could have imagined, and that’s amazing,” Calina said.
Spencer added, “I want people to vote for me because I feel like I’m a good example of how your mistakes don’t define you. Like making the right decisions counts, and surrounding yourself with people that are kind to you and being that person for other people is something I think I try my best to do.”