Over the years, it has long been tradition for high school students across the country to elect their fellow classmates to Homecoming Court in the days leading up to the highly celebrated Homecoming game and dance. For many schools, this means nominating and voting for a few girls and guys from each grade, usually with seniors holding the largest number of spots on the court. However, at Page, this tradition only includes girls. Why is this, and how do the students feel about it?
When asked about whether it stood out to them that Page doesn’t offer Homecoming Court elections for guys, students gave mixed responses. Some found it odd, while others didn’t care much, and some hadn’t noticed at all. Sophomore Patrick O’Connell says “I haven’t really noticed, but I do feel a little left out”. 2 out of 3 male Page students said they didn’t feel affected by their inability to participate in Homecoming Court. However, one junior felt that if Page offered Homecoming Court for girls, it should also be an option for guys.
This raises another set of questions: why are guys included in Prom Court but not Homecoming Court? Does it even matter? Speaking on the topic, senior Mitchell DiMond says “I haven’t really thought too much about it but I would say it doesn’t really affect me because we have Prom, and that’s really the big one that everyone talks about”. Sophomore Savannah Quimby has a different perspective, saying “Guys can be Prom King and Prince, [so] why can’t they be a part of Homecoming Court?”
Even if the door were to be opened for guys to be elected to Page’s Homecoming Court, there is some debate about the level of enthusiasm and participation that might come from the guys. Junior Connor Frick says “I definitely think guys would be down to participate if they knew they could be involved in hoco ct”. On the other hand, a junior girl at Page says “I don’t think guys would be into it in the first place, and it’s kind of tradition that it’s just girls at Page, and I don’t think it’s a big problem.” When asked if they thought Page should attempt to add guys to the Homecoming Court, 5 out of 6 students surveyed indicated it would be worth a shot.
In the end, it all comes down to whether or not the school is able to accommodate an increased volume of Homecoming Court members by adding guys to the running. Facilitating Court activities actually takes a lot of planning by Student Council and Page administration- overseeing nominations, distributing voting forms, coordinating field space, arranging the order of procession, and more. When asked if she believed it was at all possible for Page to accommodate guys on the court as well, Senior Class Representative Akia Barnes says “Almost definitely. If we shrunk down the number of girls, even just by 1-2, we could [probably] accommodate guys. If they really needed to, they could even pair girls and guys [from the same grade] to walk down the field and meet their parents at the end.”
Overall, Page has an amazing group of girls on the Homecoming Court every year. If possible, the addition of guys could make the Court even more special. What do you think: should guys be added into the mix?
