Homecoming is one of the biggest and most anticipated events of the year. Students look forward to it for weeks. The roaring crowd at the assembly, the different theme days, everything elevates the student experience and leads up to the dance at the end of the week. In addition to all these parts of Homecoming, one of the most important parts of the Homecoming experience is the Homecoming court. Traditionally, two students are chosen through an election to be homecoming king and queen. Some may have noticed that Prep doesn’t have a Homecoming court. Instead of a Homecoming court, Prep has spirit royalty. The two students who show the most spirit by dressing up during homecoming week are chosen as spirit royalty by ASB. The winners are announced at the Homecoming assembly at the end of the week.

Although Prep has spirit royalty now, Prep used to have a traditional Homecoming court. Mrs. Lovejoy remembered her Homecoming court from her time as a student: “Prep definitely did have a Homecoming court. I was a part of it my senior year. It was a whole spotlight/red carpet thing at the assembly and then there was a procession in cars to the West Seattle Stadium, and we went out on the field at halftime of the football game. I honestly thought it was really embarrassing. “

After years of the Homecoming court, Prep decided to shift the way royalty was chosen. They came up with the idea of spirit royalty instead of having a Homecoming court. Mr. Barmore explains part of the reason for this change, “It promotes school spirit, in a way that just choosing royalty based on a popularity contest doesn’t. The other thing we thought it did was, it provided more opportunities for more students to actually be able to be the royalty.

Another one of the big drivers behind the change was a better experience for the students. Having spirit royalty instead of a Homecoming court allowed for more students to get involved.  “

Prep may not have the traditional Homecoming court, but what Prep does have creates a unique and fun experience for students. Every school does Homecoming a bit differently, but nonetheless, all will be an enjoyable experience.