Dylan Campbell

Upon getting nominated for the Emperor Race, Dylan Campbell “was surprised that people put my name down. It’s nice to think that people in my [class] think I’m able to run for this.” If he had to describe himself in one word, he would pick “unexpected.” He elaborated: “I feel like people can be surprised by my actions sometimes.” Dylan chose Mrs.Taylor as his sponsor to help with the race. “I think it’s pretty self explanatory why I chose Mrs.Taylor as my sponsor,” he said. “She’s so nice and so awesome, and everyone knows her.” Dylan plans to raise money mainly by asking businesses for donations and selling candy, as well as PopTarts. Dylan is involved with chorus, the marching band, jazz band, and just band in general—and that’s just music. He’s also involved with the NHS and SGA. Dylan doesn’t know exactly what he wants to do in the future; he’s switched a couple times. “I was pretty stuck with JSU but that changed,” he said, “though now I’m leaning back towards [JSU] again.” Outside of school, Dylan works at Baskin Robbins. He recommends the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor, which he describes as “pretty good.” If he had to compete in a speed-eating competition, he would pick soup as the food. His reasoning for this choice was not given; one can assume Dylan just really likes soup. 

Editor’s Update: By the end of the Emperor Race, Dylan ended up raising $4,900 and being crowned Emperor of the Taj. Dylan was super surprised by this result because “I’d been in fourth place for so long.” “I didn’t know if Trey Weldon had something in his back pocket,” he said, “and I didn’t know how much Parker had. I was just impressed with what the total was!” The total money raised was over $17,000. (Paige Johnson & Gunner Bryson)

Alex Frost

When first getting nominated, Alex Frost thought, “I was glad to think that my peers think that I can do this.” If he had to describe himself in one word, he would pick “tall.” “That’s what all my friends say,” Alex said. “I’m 6’3.” As part of the Emperor race, Alex chose Mrs.Tollett as his sponsor “because she is always fun and we get along really well.” Alex plans to raise money by selling people candy and asking people for donations. Alex is taking an interesting approach with raising money, taking up donations “so that we can wax Gethyn Brock’s legs.” Alex is involved with everything music, so much so that he can’t pick which activity is his favorite. After high school, Alex plans on going to JSU and eventually becoming a band director. Outside of school, Alex spends his time at church and participating in youth activities. One thing you might not know about Alex is that he has a middle name, which he refused to share with us. If he had to compete in a food eating competition, he would choose skittles although he assures us that his jaw would start to hurt if this skittle-eating competition was a real thing. (Paige Johnson & Gunner Bryson)

Hunter Goins

Hunter Goins is a candidate for Emperor of the Taj this year at Heritage. When Hunter saw that he got nominated for Emperor, the first thing that popped into his head was that he would have never thought he would be nominated for emperor and how excited he was about that fact. If Hunter could describe himself in one word, he would choose “driven. “”I’m always doing something, and I’m always trying to do something,” he said. Hunter’s sponsor is Mr. Lee. When asked about his plans for raising money, Hunter replied, “I plan on doing some car washes or maybe some fundraisers.” After high school, Hunter plans on doing something in real estate, something like “building and remodeling houses or building houses from the ground up.” Though Hunter is well-known at Heritage High School, one thing he says people might not know about him was that he was once ranked 200th in the world at Apex Legends. (Gunner Bryson)

Jacob Lozano

Jacob Lozano is everyone’s friend. Everyone knows him and his sense of humor. Some know him for his passion for his favorite anime, Naruto, but hopefully we will all remember him in the future for raising so much money for the children! “One of one” is how Jacob says he would describe himself. “It just popped into my head,” he said. His sponsor for the Emperor Race is Mrs. Shoelen, whom he chose because “she’s the best teacher, man.” He has some really fun ideas for raising money for children this year like setting up a TV and PS5 in the lobby, allowing everyone to play it—for a small fee, of course. After high school, Jacob wants to become a real estate agent; he wants to start working on that as soon as possible. Jacob is also involved with football. In a speed-eating competition, he says he would be able to throw down some Tostadas. (Cade Stone)

Nathan Minton

Nathan Minton is one of the most reliable people in this school—and arguably the funniest. When he was first nominated for the Emperor Race, he thought, “Why was I nominated?” “I woke up, and everyone was telling me congrats,” he said. “I was like ‘for what?’ until I checked Twitter, but it is an honor.” If Nathan could describe himself in one word, it would be “slow.” We’ll let him explain: “I picked that word because in all aspects of life I can be proficient, but it was a slow process to get there.” This year, Mr. Trobaugh is his sponsor. “He’s very kind,” Nathan said. “He gives me extra credit opportunities when I’m flunking and is, all in all, a cool dude.” Nathan has made a GoFundMe and a Venmo to raise the bulk of his money while also raising donations here at the school. His biggest money-raising idea is to fill mason jars with Starbursts and have people guess how many are in it. Nathan is the Vice President of Chorus and the number one tennis singles player. After high school, Nathan wants to become a cop. Outside of school, Nathan attends Peavine Baptist and used to take Taekwondo. In a speed-eating contest, Nathan would choose a pizza. (Cade Stone)

David Shehee

David Shehee is a senior here at Heritage High School who was nominated for Emperor. When David was nominated, the first thing he was thinking was that it could be a fun opportunity for him to raise money. David describes himself as “happy,” because, well, he is always happy. David asked Mr. Whited to sponsor him, but he said it was too much work. “I chose Mr. Whited because he seemed cool, so it would work out.” He planned on asking Mr. Bradford to sponsor him next–we’re unsure if he ever did–but his sponsor has turned out to be Mrs. Thatcher. To raise money, David plans to get a GoFundMe going or to go old school and just stand outside with a bucket. David isn’t involved with many activities at school, but outside of school he likes to work out, hang out with friends, and play video games. After school, he plans to get into real estate or become an electrician. Something you may not know about David is that he likes turtlenecks. Also, if he had to compete in a speed eating contest, he would love for the food to be either burritos or peanut butter and jellies. (Connor Richardson)

Parker Taylor

It’s that time of year again when we elect the Emperor of the Taj, a beloved tradition here at Heritage. One of the nominees for Emperor is Parker Taylor. Parker is a very involved member at our school. He is the president of NEHS, the vice president of BETA, the vice president of SGA, a member of the chamber choir, and Band Captain. Parker loves the band. “I’ve been in it for so long,” he said, “and it’s like a family of 200 people.” He enjoys the atmosphere created in the band room and has made many connections through being in band. This makes sense considering Parker sees himself as a very caring person. “I care a lot about others, and it’s definitely something I like to honor,” he remarked. After high school, Parker plans to go to college and become a data analyst, which he acknowledges “sounds really boring out loud.” When Parker first got nominated, his initial thought was: “What?” Parker explains: “ I wasn’t at school that day so I got texts from friends saying, like, ‘hey congrats,’ and I didn’t know what was going on. It was a nice surprise.” Parker is being sponsored by his eleventh grade math teacher, Mrs. Wolfe. “She has known me since my junior year, and she’s a lot of fun. I know she has worked with [previous Emperor candidates] before, so I look forward to working with her and seeing [what ideas] she has.” Together they have already come with ways to start raising money for the race. “So far, I have a Venmo set up with the band, and we are going to do a pie-in-the-face competition to raise money; whoever raises the most can pie me in the face,” he noted. Parker hopes to get a lot of money for the Catoosa County Children’s fund, and, if luck will have it, maybe even become Emperor. However, if this was a speed eating competition, Parker would most definitely win, especially if the food in question was blueberries. “I could just inhale them and then win,” he said. Whether a speed eating competition or the Emperor race, Parker Taylor is a force to be reckoned with. There is no doubt he will accomplish great things and I wish him success on his journey to become the Emperor of the Taj. (Briley Simpson)

 Trey Weldon

Trey’s first thought when he was nominated for Emperor was that it could be a fun opportunity. Trey would describe himself as “exotic” because you never know what he’s about to do. Trey’s sponsor is Mrs. Parker. “She helped me a lot through my early years of high school,” he said. To raise money, Trey plans to sell candy and ask for donations. At school, he is on the football team, and he is in the Beta Club. “Football is my favorite sport, and I couldn’t imagine life without it,” he said. After school, Trey plans to go to Georgia Southern to get a civil engineering degree. Trey in enrolled in duel enrollment, and, when he’s not involved in school activities or studying, he mows yards. If he were to compete in a speed eating contest, he would choose pizza to eat because its “easy to fold” and “tastes great.” (Connor Richardson)