Unnoticed to some, however, is that there exists an unspoken rule which somehow seems to take effect each year around this time. It seems as if ASB officers and senior class officers are the ones who seem to almost always be on the ballots for Homecoming court, with a few non-officers in the race. ASB and senior class office have become synonymous with Homecoming Court. If one looks at the court from just the past three years, there is an overwhelming majority of ASB and senior class officers on the ballot. This trend seems to be recurring as each year passes. Just last year, ten out of the twelve students on Homecoming Court were either ASB or senior class officers. For Homecoming 2005 and 2006, there were seven out of twelve students on Homecoming Court who were either ASB or senior class officers, both times. This year as well, seven of the twelve students are current ASB or class officers. Of the remaining five, one has had experience as a class officer.
Okay, both ASB and the class officers should be given credit because they do a lot for our school and senior class. They don’t have the easiest roles on campus, since they take up responsibility and spend time both during fifth period Leadership as well as outside of normal school hours to ensure MVHS’ cohesiveness and senior class spirit. However, there are many students who see that there are other students in the senior class who may not be ASB or class officers, but have demonstrated the same qualities as those of officers. There are many other ways students can be respectful, driven, and dedicated, like giving ideas for class activities and spearheading plans for floats.
Some people start placing the blame on the selection process, yet the very process for voting on Homecoming Court is quite fair. The members are selected by the senior class on an online ballot, a change from voting in Government and Economics classes as was done in the previous years. After compiling these votes and choosing the six princes and princesses, the entire student body then casts their votes for the prince and princess they wish to make king and queen. Finally, at the Homecoming Game’s halftime following the floats’ procession and band’s performance, the previous year’s king and queen come to crown the new year’s king and queen.
When seniors get the ballot online, they’re asked to “nominate people who should represent MVHS and have served the MVHS community in a positive way. Some good qualities to look for are people who are respectful, dedicated, and driven.” However, when seniors encounter these lines, and they read the sample qualities, two groups of people constantly pop to mind: six people in black jumpsuits on rally days; or five people in identical shirts, leading more than 600 seniors in the epic “OO AH! You wish you were a senior!” chant in the gym. Instead of actually thinking about someone, seniors immediately pounce and choose ASB and class officers as these "model students." True, seniors have college applications and first semester grades to channel most of their attention on. But in their busy schedules, they can make time to actually think for a few minutes who would accurately befit the title.
ASB officers and class officers have been given a platform already. Why not give the same opportunity to other seniors? The thing seniors could do is try to vote for such non-officers, thus giving other people within their class the chance to “represent” their class as members of Homecoming Court. With the multitude of respectful, dedicated, and driven seniors, we won’t go wrong in selecting a non-ASB or non-class officer. By considering other seniors, we can see a more diverse selection to choose from, adding a hint of spice to an already flavorful Homecoming.
