Senior Mckenna Ezekiel and her father walk across the Billy Henderson Stadium field during the Homecoming football game in 2021. Ezekiel has been on the Homecoming Court three times and feels walking on the field each year is something that never gets old. “It’s so amazing,” Ezekiel said. “The bright lights, walking down on that field (with) everybody cheering, your family’s there, it’s just the highlight of my life. Literally.” Photo by Luna Reichart
The 2022 Homecoming Court will be honored on the Billy Henderson Stadium field during this year’s annual Homecoming football game on Sept. 16.
The Homecoming season officially started at Clarke Central High School on Aug. 26 after ballots for Homecoming Court were emailed to each grade level by Family Engagement Specialist Christian Barner.
The students with the most votes were announced to the CCHS community through an Instagram post made by the Student Government Association on Aug. 31. These students will walk down the Billy Henderson Stadium field during halftime at the 2022 Homecoming football game on Sept. 16, where two of the senior representatives will be crowned Homecoming royalty.
Principal’s Secretary Latoya Hill is planning the crowning ceremony alongside Innovation Strategy and Governance department member Latoya Jewell. Hill believes Homecoming gives the student body an opportunity to have fun and meet new people.
“I think Homecoming is sort of (a) nostalgic tradition. Sometimes it’s just a popularity contest, and, truly, after you graduate from high school, you probably won’t remember who was on the court, but it’s just a fun thing,” Hill said. “It’s difficult sometimes (to sustain) these types of traditions, so I enjoy it. I think it’s a way for students to develop camaraderie, maybe talk to a person that they (normally) wouldn’t have (by) saying ‘vote for me.’ I just think it promotes the spirit of the school.”
While Hill believes Homecoming is a light-hearted tradition, senior and three-time Homecoming Court representative Mckenna Ezekiel believes that being on the court stands for something bigger.
“Homecoming Court, to me, is basically representing your school in the best way possible,” Ezekiel said. “People pick you to be on court for you to show out as best as you can. Especially for my senior year, I’m so excited to represent my school and my class.”
Senior representatives like Ezekiel have the opportunity to be crowned during halftime, but this year Hill and the Homecoming Committee are changing some of the previous Homecoming traditions to invite gender inclusivity.
“For seniors, we typically would have a king and a queen but this year we are shifting gears and naming royals instead of a particular gender-affiliated title. So we are hoping that everyone in our student body feels included.”
— Latoya Hill,
Principal’s Secretary
“In accordance with the (Clarke County School) District policy regarding gender, we have decided to be on the cutting edge and make sure that our practice aligns with that of the district. So this year, instead of categorizing males or females, we put all students into one ballot and each grade level had a Google Form,” Hill said. “For seniors, we typically would have a king and a queen but this year we are shifting gears and naming royals instead of a particular gender-affiliated title. So we are hoping that everyone in our student body feels included.”
The prospect of two royals being crowned is exciting to Ezekiel and she can’t wait to see what the results will be.
“I’m looking forward to seeing who wins that crown this year,” Ezekiel said. “We have some very good representatives this school year for our senior class (in particular) and I’m just excited to walk on the field for my last time.”
