Disclaimer: One of the Homecoming King nominees, Chase Berkson, is a member of the 42Fifty staff. He did not contribute to the writing or editing of this article.
The announcement of Homecoming Court nominees through the OH speakers during the 2nd period on Friday marked the official start of Homecoming Week. Students got excited when they heard familiar names through the speakers, and the nominees proudly make their way to the OH main office.
Every year, there are 10 members of the court, all of whom are seniors. This year, the Homecoming King nomination winners are: Kobe Jones, Chase Berkenson, Kam Jenkins, Anthony Mullen, and Michael Holmstrom. Homecoming Queen nomination winners are: Mia Medina, Ashley Cook, Gia Smith, Ali Bauman, and Morgan Pawlisz.
These nominees are chosen by who received the most votes via an online form.
“I posted on my Snapchat story, like, mostly every day, just telling people to vote,” said Cook.
Many of the nominees described the process similarly; they promoted primarily through posting on social media stories. All of the winners were eager to be a part of the court. But Jones, who is known for his delicious cookies, went the extra mile to attain votes.
“I [post] campaign videos, I give out cookies, I post on my social media, ” said Jones.
The campaign videos and cookies show his determination to be a part of the court. As they all put in effort into convincing people to vote for them, their anticipation was intense.
“It was just exciting, but also, like nerve-racking because there was a lot of people also running. But, it was just a fun process to run,” said Medina.
The other members interviewed agreed with her statement. While the anticipation was intense, so was the excitement.
“I was just trying to have fun with it. I wasn’t trying to take it too seriously,” said Smith. “I just hoped that I would get on court, but obviously I wasn’t going to take it too hard if I didn’t.”
It seems that the process is a fun time for the court members. One of the things that makes this year special is that one of the winners, Ashley Cook, is carrying out her family legacy.
“My sister did it in her senior year, and she was able to get onto the court, so I was just doing what she did and was hoping that I’d be able to get on,” said Cook.
Her sister, 2024 graduate Miranda Cook, was what inspired her to go through this process. Medina was also inspired by a prior court member.
“I remember my freshman year, the old homecoming court. Like I just remember it being like, [so amazed.] I just [saw] how nice it looked, and this one girl in my [Freshman] Seminar class, she actually ran for court, so I got… influenced by her to do it,” said Medina.
While some were inspired by past members, others are just along for the ride, like OH varsity cheerleader Gia Smith.
“I just kind of didn’t really want to walk in the parade,” laughed Smith, since cheerleaders are required to walk and cheer throughout the entire homecoming parade. “I just thought it would just be a fun thing to do, and like to get more involved in the school.”
Jones is also along for the ride, as he actually didn’t expect to win. “At first, I wasn’t going to run, but all my friends asked if I was running, so I was like, why not?” he said.
Cook was also surprised to win and has found a deeper excitement in this experience. “I’m really happy. I didn’t really expect it, but I’m glad I was able to do it with my best friend Gia,” said Cook.
Smith agrees with her and says that she is having fun by being more involved with homecoming. The whole school recognizes the members as part of the homecoming celebration.
“I’m really involved, so it’s good to see, like, everybody… give the recognition that I kind of deserve somewhat,” said Jones.
The ones who were interviewed all said they were looking forward to going through the process with each other.
And while not all of the members were interviewed, it has been shown that the homecoming court is much more than just people who received the most votes. It is made up of friendly people who bring unity to the school for the annual OH homecoming traditions.
“I’m excited to get to share… these memories with these great people beside me,” said Medina.
Homecoming king and queen will be crowned at Friday afternoon’s homecoming pep rally starting at 1:30 p.m.
Hi! I am Stephanie Mayorga, a staff reporter for 42Fifty. I am a Junior and am excited for my first year in 42Fifty! You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name on the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
Hi, my name is Peyton. I'm a junior in highschool and it's my first year on staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication.
