Opinion: Verdict in on homecoming court

Homecoming+nominations+open+Monday+and+will+last+until+September+3.+With+homecoming+set+for+Saturday%2C+Sept.+25%2C+2021%2C+excitement+for+the+selected+two+winners+from+each+grade+level+has+already+begun.

Homecoming nominations open Monday and will last until September 3. With homecoming set for Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, excitement for the selected two winners from each grade level has already begun.

Homecoming court.

Every year students nominate their friends, either seriously or as a joke, for a chance to become high school royalty. Well, at least for one night.

In case you missed it, four boys and four girls were nominated for each grade, and every student could vote on a Google form for homecoming king and queen as well as a boy and girl from that student’s grade. The competition is normally lighthearted and students have a fun time voting for people they know or a possible couple. While homecoming court is a longstanding and cherished American tradition, there is a lot left to be improved.

With the school’s nomination system, it’s possible for groups such as band to fill up the nomination slots with their members. There is nothing wrong with band choosing nominees they want, but when many groups do this, it can decrease the variety of the students up for the crown.

This year some students felt they missed the opportunity to vote or nominate people. Some students also felt that a few days to nominate and two days for the final vote was not enough time. This can leave some students to feeling they might never get a chance to be nominated.

Another flaw in the homecoming court nomination process: students sometimes deliberately vote for two people who might dislike each other or have a complicated relationship. This can lead to tension and awkwardness by doing this can take the lightheartedness out of the popular tradition. This year, the duke and duchess and had previously dated and were not on good terms, to put it lightly. Many sophomores had voted for both students as a practical joke, and the result was uncomfortable.

None of this it to say the homecoming court should be abolished. It is something that can be fun to partake in, but the voting system needs to be changed. Next year the school should implement a system that allows for a greater number and variety of students to be nominated while also offering a measure to prevent awkward results in homecoming court. What that process could be is uncertain, but the current system could certainly use an adjustment.