The homecoming court announcements came over the school’s intercom and every senior’s ears turned toward the speaker as they waited for the names to be read, but sadly most of the seniors were disappointed when their names were not called.

The process of voting for homecoming court has been a popularity contest from the beginning. The first step of choosing the candidates begins with principal Donna Zerr, vice principal Ryan Muhlig and athletic director Travis Olive. They choose a group of five to six girls involved in winter activities; the girls vote on eight prince candidates (and vice versa for the princess candidates).

To narrow down the selection, the candidates are passed down to winter sports teams where the athletes select the final four king and queen nominees. This step of the process can often result in biased voting; most players will end up voting for fellow teammates if that team has a candidate on it. Most likely more popular sports such as football or basketball will be represented on the homecoming court rather than tennis or wrestling; as a result, not everyone is represented.

Finally, during the homecoming week, all students have the opportunity to vote during English classes.

Homecoming is a tradition that once provided recognition to two students who served the school and community.

Most of the time, students end up voting for their friends instead of the candidate who truly deserves the title. Often, students feel pressured or forced to vote on the most well-known candidate despite their lack of service to society.

Homecoming not only awards those who are deemed the most “well-known” students but for the students who were not even nominated, it can be devastating.

Students who were not selected for a position on the court may feel cheated from something they believe they deserved to participate in. It can also make students feel like they are unpopular or unliked amongst their peers.

Although AHS has strayed away from the true meaning of homecoming, we will be able to find our way back to the way homecoming used to be by making changes in how we vote and the criteria the candidates must meet.  By nominating students who are active members in our community and placing descriptions of each candidate’s accomplishments on the voting sheets it will give worthy students a chance at the homecoming title.

After changes are made, every social group will have the chance to be represented on the homecoming court and the winners will be those who truly deserve the title.