The Elmira High School staff is experiencing a bit of a wedding and baby boom, with five staff members recently married and three who are expecting babies.
Assistant Principal Joel Smith and his wife, Terra, most recently exchanged vows — on Oct. 7.
On Sept. 9, Emilee Brink-Anderson, an EHS cross-country and track coach as well as the school’s Aspire coordinator, got married at their home to her husband, Eric Anderson, who is an instructional assistant at Fern Ridge Middle School.
On July 22, health teacher Bo Highburger married his wife, Eleanor, who is an elementary school teacher in Philomath. Also over the summer, on June 25, EHS special-education teacher Ian Cooper and Options instructional assistant Jessica Cooper exchanged their vows at Chateau Lorane.
A few of the Falcon couples also are expecting babies. Brink-Anderson is due in January with a boy. Smith’s wife, Terra, is due in March with a boy, who they plan to name Chet. Jessica Cooper is pregnant with a girl due in April.
Brink-Anderson told Falcon News that she announced to her husband that she was pregnant when he was playing video games.
“I asked him to close his eyes and hold out his hands,” she said. “He was shocked, and then said to his friend he was playing games with that he’s gonna be a dad.”
The Coopers said they thought at first that they weren’t pregnant, so they took a test and it came back positive.
Cooper said her pregnancy has been amazing, with no sickness, and she’s been happier than usual.
“My best supporter has been my husband,” she said.
Cooper said her cravings have included cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and savory food such as meats and beans.
Smith said his wife found out that she was pregnant when she tried to eat her favorite snack — peanut butter toast — and felt nauseous. When he got home from work, they bought two pregnancy tests and both came back positive.
He said he has been his wife’s best supporter during her pregnancy.
Brink-Anderson said she and her husband met three years ago when they went out with friends. They like to go on hikes, travel, and hang out with their friends.
She said her favorite thing about her husband is how silly he is and how he can be dorky with her.
Brink-Anderson said she felt like she knew he was the one the moment she met him.
The Coopers, who dated for four years, met at an OBOB competition when her younger siblings were competing and his mom was coaching.
Ian Cooper said his favorite thing about his wedding was how the ceremony brought together both of their families, who hadn’t really met before.
Jessica Cooper that her favorite thing about her husband is that he is outgoing, challenges her, and that they balance each other out.
Ian Cooper said that what attracted him to his wife was how they both liked reading and Super Smash Bros., and they had family ties to Elmira.
They both said the biggest strength of their relationship is their willingness to communicate.
Highburger, who dated his wife for five years before they got married, said his favorite thing about his wedding — besides the ceremony — was the Hawaiian food.
The Highburgers first met because their families are friends, and then they met again in college.
Highburger said they were attracted to each other because they were in similar social groups and they were both athletes.
The Highburgers like to hike, cook together and go to each other’s sporting games.
He said the biggest strength of their relationship is their love for each other, and that his favorite thing about his wife is how funny she is.
Smith said his favorite thing about his wedding was that it included only a small group of immediate family, making for a much less stressful occasion.
He and his wife first met about 18 years ago, but they didn’t really connect. They then reconnected about three years ago through mutual friends.
Smith said that what attracted them to each other were their common interests. They love to be outdoors, to exercise and cook together, and hang out with her niece and nephew.
He said his favorite thing about his wife is how kind and genuine she is, and that the biggest strength of their relationship is their understanding of each other.
