You may know her for her bleach blonde hair and pale skin but sophomore Grace Poeppel is so much more than that.  Poeppel is a Knoch High Knochette and loves performing under the Friday night lights at the football games and also performing for her dance studio.

Poeppel, who not only works long and hard at being a Knochette, is also an avid dancer.  Poeppel dances at Studio 19 Dance Complex in Mars. She participates in lyrical, jazz, hip hop, pointe, and so much more.  She has always wanted to be a dancer.

“My sister was a dancer, and I always wanted to dance since I was little,” said Poeppel. “I’ve been dancing for eleven years and when I got into high school I became a Knochette.”

She dances so much because she loves performing.  Poeppel looks up to her teacher Tammy Croftcheck as a role model when it comes to dancing.

“Grace always used to dance around the house and go through her sister’s dance bag and try on all of the shoes that she had,” said her mother Carolyn Poeppel, “Grace’s favorite were her sister’s satin pointe shoes.”

Everyone who knows Grace as a dancer thinks she is amazing and always does a great job, whether the routine is easy or not she pulls it off.

“My role model in dance would have to be my teacher Tammy Croftcheck, she has taught me a lot,” stated Poeppel.

Poeppel wanted to be a Knochette because her sister was a Knochette and she wanted to follow in her sister’s footsteps.

“She has wanted to be a Knochette since she was young she would always tag along to the performances, parades, football halftime, basketball halftime, and practices. She was sort of an unofficial mascot of the team,” said Mrs. Poeppel.

“Grace is an amazing friend!” said sophomore Gabi Oskin.

“She is always there for me and is great to talk to,” said freshman Maddie Andrews.

Both girls love Grace but one thing that drives Oskin crazy about their friendship is that Poeppel can sometimes let other people get between them in their friendship. Both have known Poeppel for two years and have become really close with her over that time span.  One things that makes Poeppel and Andrews close is that they dance together and see each other day.

“My main goal in life is to be successful,” said Poeppel.  She would like to either work for a newspaper or be a dance teacher.

Mrs. Poeppel says that she does not know what her daughters future holds but referred to a bible verse that comes from Jeremiah 29:11. It says “ For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future.”

As Mrs. Poeppel has much to say about her daughter it just happens that Poeppel’s role model in life is her mother.

“She’s always there for me and she’s supportive,” said Poeppel.

She is always there for me when I need her, and she always cheers me up when I need it.

Poeppel’s grandparents emigrated from Germany in 1952 and her great-grandfather spent four and a half years in a Russian POW camp. Poeppel and her mother and her mother are very close and they even share the same birthday.

“I am so blessed to have Grace as my daughter,” said Mrs. Poeppel, “She has brought so much joy and laughter in my life, I couldn’t imagine life without her.”

Kaya Morgan is a sophomore who spends most of her time dancing and being a Knochette.  Kaya also likes spending time with her two cats.