One of the nights that entire school alumni look upon fondly forever remains Homecoming and for good reason. Students pack the stands, band members play with all their hearts and everyone else—outside of diehard football fans—waits in anticipation for the girls and guys and their suits and gowns, ready to see who wins the crown.

“I’m nervous, happy, excited; all of the feelings! It’s nerve-wracking not knowing that I’ve won, but this process has been absolutely amazing. All of my friends have been really supportive and I have really happy feelings about everything, even if I don’t win,” magnet junior Laibon Gitonga said.

Typical of the Warriors, the battle against the Wildcats faced slim to no real competition; they de-clawed the feeble cats with their spears by a 28 to 7 within the second quarter. The Paint Squad and the cheerleaders smiled ear-to-ear at this fact, of course, chanting and raving a considerable amount more than usual.  

Throughout the building emotions surrounding Homecoming, they came to a zenith as the clock ticked closer to the halftime show. The marching band and color guard began to practice and cheer as the Homecoming court began to walk to the main entrance, glitter dresses and suits sparkling, truly representing the Gatsby theme. 

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“I’m so excited! I’ve actually never run for homecoming, and the last time I went was in freshman year. Since it was my senior year, I was like ‘might as well’, and I made it, which was super exciting. For court, I wanted to go a bit classy, since I’m walking on the field and all,  but for actual homecoming, I’m going cute and modern. Being nominated, I was really excited, I really didn’t expect to get onto the court since so many people ran; I didn’t really know how it was going to turn out. But, I’m super excited to leave here with a win,” Homecoming Queen and senior Anyiah Suggs said. 

Teachers’ and students’ eyes began to water, friends of the Court smothered their squeals and the field quieted to the levels of a library as the announcements for the winners commenced. Seniors Anyiah Suggs and Kameron Owens, the cheerleader football star couple, won both Homecoming King and Queen, while juniors Eladia Scott and Juan Patarroyo won Prince and Princess.  The combination of the All-American dream team winning and the adorable and wholesome nature of the announcements motivated the Warriors to crush Wheeler with 45 to 14. As amazing as the team’s ability to keep their winning streak for this season seemed, the night’s events held a higher meaning for faculty and the student body.

“Both of my girls who made homecoming are amazing human beings and great athletes, and I’m incredibly proud of both of them. This is my second homecoming here, but this night is completely different. There’s a whole lot of energy here, the crowd has so much energy it’s overall wonderful. This is what it’s all about; it’s seeing students and students and student-athletes come and have all their hard work pay off,” 10th Literature teacher and Assistant Cheer Coach Keri Nelson said.