3 Unusual Homecoming King and Queen Tales

The popular, if not traditional selections
It just wouldn’t satisfy tradition to be without a homecoming king and queen. The royal court of the event adds a special, glamorous touch that everyone wants to be a part of. Contrary to long-held beliefs, choosing a homecoming king and queen is not a school-sponsored beauty pageant and in fact, the candidates are the hard workers and dedicated students of the school.

Voting for homecoming king and queen used to be a simple matter of placing a ballot paper in a box, very much like electing the new President. Nowadays, however, the vote can be electronically sent over the Internet and this makes it easier to tally because it’s all done digitally.

Each school sets their own specific selection criteria for eligibility as homecoming king or queen and sets it out in the school newsletter or on the website. Usually the following will apply:
• The applicants must be seniors and in the case of a university, must be defined as such, regardless of accumulated credit hours.
• At colleges, the applicants must be enrolled for a minimum number of hours per week during the applicable semester, not including correspondence courses.
• They must have a specific cumulative grade point average.
• They should be nominated by a school- or university-recognized organization.
• They should be willing to participate in a variety of scheduled homecoming activities during the main week if selected.
• They should be available for an interview prior to selection.

1. Where’s the king?
If it all sounds highly official, well it’s meant to be. The titles of homecoming king and queen are ones of honor, that a person will have worked towards and will be deserving of. In 2004, the University of Washington crowned two homecoming queens and there was no king. Since the homecoming royalty were to each receive a $1,000 scholarship, it was decided that the two most deserving students – male or female – should be chosen. The two queens were chosen based on their individual grade point averages, community and campus activities, their career goals and on honors and awards they had achieved.

2. The gaiety of royalty
In another controversial decision, in 2005, a jock and a cheerleader were elected as homecoming king and queen. Nothing too odd about that, of course, but in this case, the strange part was that the jock was a girl and the cheerleader was a boy. The students from Buffalo Grove High School in Chicago are both openly gay and proudly wore their crowns as a sign of the times, that anti-gay sentiment is now seen as uncool.

3. True love and the homecoming crowns
At Highland High School in Arizona in 2004, the homecoming king and queen were meant to be; everybody thought so. Even though the crown was placed on the head of the chosen king, he gave up the title and associated headwear to defer to his runner-up who was a long-time sweetheart of the school’s homecoming queen. It seemed to be a unanimous decision as the popular couple were applauded and cheered on the ride around the football field.

The selection of homecoming king and queen is not always as traditional as people may think but hopefully it is always a popular choice.