During today’s OH Homecoming Pep Assembly, the 2026 Homecoming King and Queen were announced: seniors Danny Claycombe and Emma Francheschini took home the crowns.
The nominations were released Sep. 3, and since then, students were scrambling to vote for their favorite pair in one of Homecoming’s biggest traditions.
“I chose to run for Homecoming Court because a lot of my friends were doing it, and I thought it would be fun if all my friends and I got [on] court,” said OH Senior Reagan Zaccardi, who posted on her Instagram and Snapchat stories immediately after voting came out.
Most of the time, students who run for homecoming court are either a couple or friends with other candidates.
“I didn’t really run with anyone at first, but then [in] Orange Crew, our whole group kind of decided ‘Hey what if we all decided to run together?’” Zaccardi said.
It takes a lot for students to be voted onto the court. Posting, word of mouth, and popularity all play a factor.
“I definitely use[d] social media. I posted pictures of me and [my boyfriend] throughout the years and stuff, and then I also had some of my friends talk to people to help us get more votes,” said now-Queen Franceschini, who ran with her boyfriend, the newly-crowned Claycombe.
Francheschini and Claycombe have been dating for two years, and along with other couples who ran and have been together for years, running for Homecoming Court can mean a lot to their friends and their relationships.
“I originally ran with my boyfriend, and we kind of just did it for fun because we didn’t think either of us would get on,” said OH senior Alenna Holden, who ran for Homecoming Queen and made it on the court.
When students are nominated and make it to the court, there are many surprises and it can be shocking. Being on Homecoming Court gives a sense of pride and recognition to the students involved.
“I didn’t expect it, because I just didn’t think that it was going to happen for me and Danny,” Francheshini said. “And now it is… cool to walk around with a sash and get to be in the parade,” Francheschini said after her nomination.
This feeling of being nominated and recognized out of hundreds of other seniors can be surreal, even adding on to the rush to post on social media and find yourself on the court.
Following nominations on Sept. 18 during the Homecoming Pep Assembly, Queen Francheschini and King Claycombe were announced, leaving the stands cheering as they shared a warm embrace.
“It was just so cool to be able to be chosen, and it was just something I never really thought would happen,” Claycombe said hours after being crowned.
Similarly, Francheschini was in awe, too. “It was a really cool moment,” she smiled. “I was sort of taken aback.”
Hi! My name is Kenna Ryan! I am a senior at OH and it is my first year on the 42Fifty Staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and attaching my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication.
