BY KAINE ENE

At the time of this writing, it’s the Friday before Homecoming. The band of Truman High School, cheerleaders, football players, and all the candidates for Homecoming King/Queen paraded through the anticipating school halls; the cymbals clashed, and the drums vibrated students’ internal organs along the way. It’s time to get ready for a night that means different things to different people, and one question, in fact, is what does being a Homecoming King/Queen mean to us?  “It’s more of a symbol than anything,” sophomore Nedra Seigfreid says, “but I think it’s a positive symbol, not anything bad. I don’t think it means you’re overly popular or anything like that.” 

HOCO candidate Erica Elefson was nominated by the student council and marching band, so she sees it as a means of representation. “I think it would be a really great thing to represent them as Homecoming Queen,” Elefson says. “It would really be an honor, and I would really appreciate [it.] You know, just the title would be cool.” 

Why do people want to be a Homecoming King or Queen in particular? “I don’t know, actually!” Seigfreid says, “I guess it could be used as a symbol to say that they’re more positive on the community than other people. I don’t think it’s particularly status inclined or if you’re Homecoming King or Queen you’re the most popular person in school, I just think  you get it because you think it’s fun.” This would make sense, since Homecoming King candidate RJ Taylor posted a light-hearted video for all of the candidates competing in a “Hocolympics,” which featured the candidates pretending to box each other, and attempting ridiculous shots through basketball hoops. A couple are barely edited to make it look like they made it, and Elefson even “made” a shot herself by karate kicking the ball. The candidates are all trying to have a good time.

Elefson expands on why the title of ‘Queen’ is cool by expressing how she’s enjoyed her High School experience, so it would not only represent the marching band, but her hard work as well.  “I think it’s been, like, the best part of my life so far.” she says. “High School is just being involved in other things I’m involved in, so Homecoming Queen would kind of represent all my hard work that I’ve put into the school and stuff like that.” Some use the experience of Homecoming as a way to hang out with their friends, and Elefson hasn’t forgotten hers, either. “When either I or one of my fellow candidates becomes Homecoming Queen, that would be really special.  All the ladies on the ballot are just so amazing, and  I’m good friends with all of them, and they’re all very deserving and nice and good people. So I think that experience would be really special because everyone is really deserving, and just to see my friends succeeding in that way would be super special.”

If the Homecoming dance is over by the time this is published, students have had their yearly get-together through dance and free snacks. There may not be any karate kicking basketballs through hoops, but whoever the Homecoming King and Queen is this year, we can only hope they both had fun.