Aliso Niguel High School holds an election for Homecoming court every year, this thrilling event excites the students every fall. The underclassmen winners for H
omecoming 2023 are freshman princess Lily Mitchell, sophomores Kainani Libunao and Koosha Kalantar and last but not least, juniors Ariana Gupta and Aidan Pitts.
When the winners were asked why they decided to enter their name into the ballot, Kalantar (10) said, “Honestly, I just thought it would be fun. It’s entertaining to watch the pep rally unfold from the court seating in the corner!”
The process of the election is very simple as any student is allowed to run as long as they fill out a google form by the time of the deadline. The form includes a brief description of the student and a photo. This allows the other students to read about their potential princess and prince and vote on 5 Star Students where votes are made anonymously.
Students are able to vote based on the looks of the runners and a description of themselves. However, this begs the question, does popularity play a big role in who wins Homecoming court?
“Absolutely not. I am not on the “popular” radar whatsoever and I still managed to win. I encourage others to put themselves out there and enter in the ballot because you only get four years to give it a shot,” said Pitts (11).
“I believe popularity plays a big role in the election, if people do not know you they are not voting for you. There was another person I thought would win,” said Kalantar (10).
As for the perspective of the court winners of the pep rally, Libunao (10) had to say, “It’s like you get a front row seat for the whole show. It’s a little scary since there’s so many people but the lights blind you enough so you cannot see.”
The pep rally includes a segment where a red carpet is rolled down in the middle of the gym and the Homecoming court winners are announced one by one.
Pitts aid, “I did not expect to not only win, but to be recognized and shouted out many times. The cheers were very loud for both pep rallies.”
Running for Homecoming court can be so much fun that some students run for it every year. Libunao won her freshman and sophomore year.
She shares, “It is really fun and a good experience, I love the suspense and seeing who I was up against, everyone is so sweet about it and when you win you get to dress up.”
Taking a chance at Homecoming court is a positive experience for the students of Aliso Niguel High School. It is a fun way to engage in school events and see what you are capable of achieving.
