It comes around the same time every year- homecoming, and with homecoming, comes the campaigns for homecoming court. Anywhere from 1 person to a dozen people run for a position, such as queen or king, everyone is given the opportunity to vote on Edsby, then it is narrowed down to the final 3.

 

Let me introduce you to the top 3 candidates for king and queen, and show you who they are through their answers to four important questions. I’ll give you all the information you need, but the choice is up to you.

 

Amanda Macchiarola: “I decided to run because I’m very competitive and as a senior, I want to make my last year count by doing as much extra curriculars and run for as much stuff as I can!”

 

Britney Cannon: “I’ve wanted to since freshman year! My sister did it and my mom encouraged me to do it. I also really like campaigning!”

 

Jor’dayn Walker: “Well I ran sophomore year and I didn’t win, and I wanted to take another opportunity just to see if I could achieve my goal of being homecoming queen….it’s also something to be proud of. To be able to tell my kids when I have them that ‘hey, your mom was homecoming queen.’”

 

Rufus Del Valle: “I originally didn’t think I would run, but I always wanted to. My buddies thought it was a good idea so I went for it. The school never had a trans king before. There was a boy named Kyle the year before my freshman year who was trans and petitioned the school to let trans kids run. He didn’t win homecoming, though. I thought maybe I could bring some representation to all the other trans kids who are where I was and don’t have much to look forward to. If you told me sophomore year I had a real shot to be homecoming king I woulda thought you were teasing me.“

 

Nigel Browne: “I’m not going to pretend like I had a true inspiring story upon why I wanted to run for homecoming king. I decided my freshman year that I was going to run for court just to see my chances of actually winning the campaign.”

 

Joseph Hamlet: No comment.

 

 

Amanda Macchiarola: “I think having a homecoming court is a really cool way to support your friends and get introduced to new people via their campaigns. I’ve made a  lot of new friends through my posters which is really cool!”

 

Britney Cannon: “I think it shows —not who the school likes the most— but who is most well-known.”

 

Jor’dayn Walker: “It’s to show the school’s leaders. These are people who have put in work and efforts to show people ‘hey, I can lead,’ by being your queen.”

 

Rufus Del Valle: “Fun. There’s nothing democratic to it, it’s totally arbitrary. But at the end of the day the student body gets some free stuff, gets to know more of their classmates; and everyone gets to celebrate at a big fun party.”

 

Nigel Browne: “The value in having a homecoming court is that it allows people to put themselves out there and be more social/outgoing. The only way people can get votes is by telling people to vote for them, and being vocal so that if people don’t know who they are they figure it out and subsequently gain votes. In addition, it is a great confidence/ self esteem booster for people who are successful in the campaign process.“

 

Joseph Hamlet: No comment.

 

 

Amanda Macchiarola: “I love dancing and jamming to music with friends and I feel like being social is a really fun aspect of high school culture and it’s a chance to come out of your shell!“

 

Britney Cannon: “I really like spending time with my friends, getting to dance and have fun!”

 

Jor’dayn Walker: “My favorite part would have to be getting dressed up and seeing everyone else dressed up! Watching everyone else’s homecoming go by for the past few weeks, I’ve been like ‘dang, I can’t wait to put on my dress and see Blake really show out.’”

 

Rufus Del Valle: “I love the dancing. I’m definitely a bad dancer but at homecoming it doesn’t matter. Everyone is just having a blast being their best selves. It’s just pure fun energy.”

 

Nigel Browne: “Dancing with my friends.”

 

Joseph Hamlet: No comment.

 

Queens:

Amanda Macchiarola: “Being homecoming queen means a lot to me. I was always invisible until high school and I was bullied a lot so being honored with status of homecoming queen feels like a complete 180 from where I used to be and how much I have grown as a person.”

 

Britney Cannon: “Homecoming queen to me means sharing my high school memories with my class. It entails setting an example for others and also sharing kindness.”

 

Jor’dayn Walker: “A queen is someone whose head is held high, her crown never tilts, she speaks politely to everyone, a queen is just someone who sits high upon the throne and acknowledges even those under her.”

 

Kings:

 

Rufus Del Valle: “Okay so personally, winning homecoming king would mean to me validation from all my peers. An acknowledgement from them that ‘hey this is our boy Rufus and there’s no doubt in our minds he’s a man.’ In general I’m sure it’s got a special meaning to every candidate, but that’s the meaning it has for me.”

 

Nigel Browne: “To be Homecoming King means that your school and peers appreciate you enough to deem you king of your school for that one night.”

 

Joseph Hamlet: No comment.

 

Amanda Macchiarola: “I think people should vote for me because I love making friends and putting smiles on the faces of everyone I interact with! I feel like in a world of being petty, I want to be remembered for random acts of kindness and being genuine and friendly.”

 

Britney Cannon: “I think they should vote for me because I listened to everyone’s needs and I put soap in the bathrooms! And I feel like I try to be nice to everybody, so I just want to be a familiar smile.”

 

Jor’dayn Walker: “People should vote for me as queen because I’m a very outgoing person and I show school spirit and I am a happy-go-lucky person. I will wear the crown and treat it with so much respect. I will make sure it is passed down to the next person along in line.”

 

Rufus Del Valle: “People should vote for me cause after 4 years at Blake you’d still be hard-pressed to find anyone who has something negative to say about me. I’m a positive prescence man, just spreading good cheer.”

 

Nigel Browne: “I think people should vote me for homecoming court because I’m a cool, personable, and down to earth guy who would really enjoy the support of his classmates in earning the crown.“

 

Joseph Hamlet: No comment.