Casey Blank to represent his class at Lake homecoming
Written by Brandi Barhite | Associate Editor | bbarhite@toledofreepress.comEditor’s note: Toledo Free Press will follow the Blank family of Millbury for the next year as they rebuild their lives after a June 5 tornado destroyed their Main Street home.
Julie Blank has worked concessions for the past two home football games. It is part of her job as “captain” of the varsity football concessions.
But Oct. 1, she doesn’t care who is waiting in line for popcorn, she is leaving the counter to watch her son walk across the new synthetic field.
Casey Blank, 15, was voted sophomore attendant by classmates at Lake High School. One male and female representative from the freshman, sophomore and junior classes is chosen each year. A court of students is selected from the senior class.
“I felt very good that my classmates would choose me to represent their class; it was an accomplishment,” Casey said via Facebook.
The homecoming game against Woodmore starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 1 with pregame festivities — when Casey will walk across the field — shortly before kickoff. The homecoming dance is Oct. 2 at Lake Middle School, which was connected to the high school destroyed by the June 5 tornado.
Science teacher Jessie Kubuske said the community, especially the students, needs homecoming. Kubuske is the adviser for student council, which hosts the homecoming events. She had Casey in class last year.
Casey Blank
“We have been very concerned about making sure that this year’s seniors don’t feel jipped,” she said. “We want to make sure they have the assembly and have the dance.”
But the plans for homecoming have not come together easily.
The disc jockey scheduled for the dance sold his business because of an illness, and the florist that Kubuske used for the past nine years went out of business.
Kubuske is also teaching in the temporary high school where she doesn’t have a phone in her classroom to make necessary homecoming-related calls during business hours. Additionally, she has had trouble with faxing.
“It has just been a lot of little problems, not any big problems.”
Kubuske said planning the homecoming assembly for the afternoon of the football game presented a logistical challenge.
This year, with Lake at a building owned by Owens Community College, the assembly will be at nearby Penta Career Center.
“We had to figure out getting students to Penta, getting students rehearsed,” Kubuske said.
The pregame announcement of the royalty will also be dicey. Usually, the royalty get out of class and rehearse walking down the football field, but since they aren’t at the high school anymore, “we are going to be winging it as we go,” Kubuske said.
Lauren Reed, the female sophomore attendant, said she and Casey were in class together when the homecoming royalty was announced. The longtime friends smiled at each other.
“It [is] nice to be with him. He has always been there for me,” she said.
She’s been there for him, too.
Lauren was texting Casey the night the tornado destroyed his house. When he stopped texting her, she became concerned. She tried calling him, but his phone was out of service.
“As soon as it happened, I went down to Millbury and saw the house,” Lauren said. “It was a horror movie. It was disastrous. It was something I never want to see again.”
Tags: Blank Family, Casey Blank, Lake High School, Storming Back, Tornado
