A cup of cheetah print buzz-cut, a teaspoon of Uniqlo sweatpants, one Cheweenie named Pepperjack, a tablespoon of eyebrow piercing, a healthy serving of Interstellar, and a sprinkle of hypermobility: this is the recipe for Mars Mathers.
Mars is a talented baker and cook with delectable recipes that he lavishes his friends and family in, “He bakes this puff pastry with brie and fig jam that I literally want to have at my wedding…he has perfected his cooking and baking skills,” said Violet Moore, longtime best friend of Mars.
A few times a year, Mars will bake a seasonal treat to bring to his friends and teachers, “Whenever Mars makes a pumpkin chocolate chip muffin or a pumpkin snickerdoodle, my life is turned upside down … it feels like fall is exploding in your mouth,” said Claire Michnowicz, a thankful recipient of these goodies. Violet agreed stating, “He makes these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies and it’s absolutely the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten.”
Mars Mathers is one of the kindest, most supportive friends you could ask for. “He gets to know his friends really well and he knows exactly how to care for [them] and make them happy,” said Violet, “he’s always going to bring flowers to our chorus concerts and show up for his friends because he knows that that makes them feel cared for.”
“He is willing to drop anything to help anyone and I really admire that about him,” agreed Maggie Walas, fellow Co-President of Enloe Interact Club and close friend. Enloe Interact is a service club connected to Raleigh’s Rotary organization where Maggie and Mars have successfully raised thousands of dollars for organizations like H2O for life, providing clean accessible water to communities and helping negate the global water crisis. “Mars is an extremely reliable friend. While running [Enloe] Interact with him, when I’m not able to do something, he picks up the slack without question.”
His ability to take care of others shines with Walter and Earnest, two brothers whom he has been babysitting since they were born. “He cares for them so much … They’re his favorite people in the entire world and he’s such an inspiration to them,” said Violet. In an exclusive interview with the eldest child, Walter stated his favorite activity with Mars is playing outside, followed by the comment “skoooopskeee leeenpolaaaa scRAAA SCREEE,” practically translating to “I love Mars!”
Preceding Walter and Earnest, Mars had taken all of the childcare courses offered at Enloe, completing an internship at Poe Elementary alongside Maggie. “When he was at Poe Elementary, [the kids] were obsessed with him and they would get so excited to see him … they would cling to him and follow him around. They still ask me about him to this day,” said Maggie.
Ms. Rhaney, the Child Development and Early Childhood Education teacher at Enloe said “[Mars was] studious, very happy, and time management was very important to him,” and Rhaney wishes him the best in his college endeavors, “Do great, do great things. Keep in touch, don’t be strangers.”
Mars is a malleable, free flowing spirit both with his ligaments and his personality, “If you ever drive past Mars on the road, you’re going to see him singing in his car, and that boy, in my heart, has the voice of an angel…he’s always going to sing his heart out and do an interpretive dance,” said Violet.
Mars’ interpretive dances enhance the music listening experience for those around him. These interpretive dances thrive in his gray Toyota Corolla with the windows down or at concerts and music festivals. Mars has attended many concerts including Noah Kahan, The Killers, Tyler the Creator, Childish Gambino, and Green Day, where he crowd surfed. “He loves concerts. He goes to a concert and sings out his entire soul,” said Violet.
Combining his love of nature, live music, and traveling, Mars has attended Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival of Music & Dance since he was a kid. With these trips, Mars plans every minute detail and aptly prepares for any situation. “He has this amazing ability to make plans. He is so put together and organized … he plans the entirety of his family’s trips: meals, housing, activities, and makes sure everyone has fun … he can literally plan anything,” said Violet. Utilizing these planning skills and his love of nature and hiking, Mars has set his sights on hiking the entirety of the Appalachian trail before graduating college.
With a passion for math, physics, and a “formulaic mind,” as Violet Moore describes it, Mars excels as a tutor, both for Math Honors Society, and for his friends failing Pre-Calculus. Mars will be attending UNC Chapel Hill in the fall where he will be majoring in Statistics and Economics! We at the Enloe Eagle’s Eye wish our Sports Editor the best and a lifetime full of interpretive dances, Go Heels!
