BY ABBIE TUSCHMAN
This year, the traditional homecoming court vote came with a twist.
For the first time in CCHS history, the Student Government Association (SGA) allowed students to run as “duos” for homecoming court. The change, adopted to make homecoming more inclusive, resulted in a large number of students vying for the title of “homecoming representative.” A total of 16 duos were nominated among the different grades.
Because only one duo ran for the junior class, the Class of 2021 did not vote for homecoming representatives. However, freshmen, sophomores and seniors voted during their personalization periods throughout the week.
The biggest turnout for nominees was in the Class of 2022, which had seven different pairs in the running for homecoming representative.
“I think that so many people from [the] sophomore class decided to run because we have a very active and spirited class that wants to participate in homecoming,” sophomore Jordan Winick said.
Winick ran for homecoming representative with fellow sophomore Elle Royes. The two have been friends since third grade and saw homecoming as a chance to try something new.
“Elle and I decided to run [for] homecoming because we thought it would be a fun opportunity and experience for us,” Winick said. “I think it would be really cool to win and represent our class.”
Winick and Royes weren’t the only nominees with a long-lasting friendship. Class of 2020 nominees Zachary Zaleski and Damaris De La Cruz, who both went to Renaissance Charter School, agreed in middle school that they would eventually run for homecoming together. Years later, the two are fulfilling that promise.
In addition to Zaleski and De La Cruz, four other senior duos ran. Though homecoming nominees competed for votes through campaigning, it appeared that many nominees were supportive of their peers running for the same title.
“I think the tradition of having a homecoming court is important because it gives the school the chance to choose individuals who best represent them.”
“I feel like [those nominated] are all really cool people and that they all have pretty good chances of winning,” Zaleski said.
For seniors, this fall represents their last chance to participate in the annual CCHS homecoming festivities such as Crazy Feats and the school dance. The Class of 2020’s looming graduation date has spurred some upperclassmen— such as senior Grant Golin, who ran alongside his friend Kimberly Slinkosky— to run for homecoming court for the first and last time.
“I decided to run for homecoming court this year because I hadn’t done it any of my previous years in high school,” Class of 2020 nominee Grant Golin said. “I thought it would be a great experience, and I was so excited when Kimberly asked if I would run with her.”
Though homecoming court is a long-standing tradition, not all students agree on what being a homecoming representative means. While some view homecoming court as a chance to show off school spirit, others argue that it’s a way for students to elect peers who embody the values and interests of each grade. Just like this year’s nominees have realized that two is sometimes better than one, the position of homecoming representative has a dual purpose in several students’ eyes.
“Being a homecoming court representative means representing the Class of 2020 and showing our ‘Cowboy Pride’ through the spirit days during homecoming week, and I know I would have a lot of fun being a homecoming court representative with Kimberly,” Golin said. “I think the tradition of having a homecoming court is important because it gives the school the chance to choose individuals who best represent them on the homecoming court, and it is fun to see who gets the opportunity to be a representative.”
The homecoming court representatives for the 2019-2020 school year are:
- Class of 2020: Damaris De La Cruz and Zack Zaleski, Hana Hussain and Juan Ventura and Kimberly Slinkosky and Grant Golin
- Class of 2021: Katarina Esquivel and Kaylyn Myers
- Class of 2022: Olivia Palmer and Annamaria Stefatos
- Class of 2023: Emily Zucker and Steve Mashburn
Voting for homecoming king and queen will take place Monday through Thursday.
Photo by The Lariat Photography
