Royalty will return to the halls of EHS next week, Homecoming (HC) royalty that is! (Hopefully,) Michael Wu and Lucia Carr will be able to grace us with their presence on coronation day to pass on the crown to the next lucky pair. But first HC court must be chosen.  

      Let’s rewind. Voting comes first. The entire senior class receives a list of all seniors’ names the week before HC. Each student indicates the ten boys and ten girls he or she wishes to nominate for court. Rigging the vote is difficult. Senior Stacey Johnson, the Student Council member in charge of planning coronation, explains “If we notice ten sheets of paper, all voting for the same twenty people, in the same handwriting, and in the same pink marker, all of those votes will be voided. And if you vote for the same two people ten times each, all of those will be voided as well.”

      Once the votes are tallied and the names are unveiled, Student Council will wake up the court the Friday morning before HC week. This includes Brueggers for breakfast and t-shirts for the new court members.  

      The Monday of HC week, the entire student body votes for a king and queen. Students receive Scantron bubble sheets during homeroom and vote for one boy and one girl. Results are kept a secret until the pep fest on Friday.  

      HC week means non-stop action for court members. “Court is involved in some kind of activity every night, whether it be organized by Student Council or not,” said senior Grady Johnson, another Student Council member. As a group, the court does anything from having dinner to tying fleece blankets for the game as a group. The girls go together to buy their dresses, often from a wedding dress store, since white is so tough to find.

      Classes are cut short on HC Friday so that everyone can watch the coronation that Student Council has spent hours planning. The most exciting part of coronation? The crowning of the new king and queen, of course! Stacey Johnson described how the king and queen are presented “We know where everyone will be sitting, so we strategically place uniform objects on the seats of the guys, with the exception of one distinguishing item. For example, in years past, we have given each guy a flashlight and the one who ends up holding the flashlight that lights up is the king. Then the newly-crowned king will [walk] back and forth in front of the girls until he puts the crown on top of one of their heads.”  

      Wait. We’ve all seen those classic high-school-based movies. Why do they all feature PROM kings and queens, not Homecoming? As we all know, things are special inEdina. Homecoming is the more ideal time to have court because of the community involvement with the game and the parade. In addition, students attend the dance, while prom is reserved for seniors. Basically,Edinapulsates with a feeling of unity during HC week, so why not top that off with court? 

      For all you who turn your noses up at mention of court, listen up. Consider Stacey Johnson’s idea of what HC is. “It’s a way of showcasing some of the great students atEdina, and it acknowledges the work that those people put into everything. Students should be proud of court because they’re representing [the student body].”