Royalty Recognized for Campus Roles
Homecoming court students involved with both school and outside activities
By Isabella Wight
Homecoming court students involved with both school and outside activities
By Isabella Wight
On Oct. 11, the Homecoming king and queen were announced at the annual rally, beating out 12 other seniors to secure the throne. Chosen by the campus, homecoming court gives students a chance to be recognized and rewarded for their actions.
Seniors Kyle Kitagawa and Isabella Paloma were chosen as king and queen, while prince and princess went to Brendon Kurihara, 12, and Lydia Watson, 12.
“We try to express to the students that we want to nominate students not necessarily because their your friend or they’re popular but students that go above and beyond and exhibit all of those values that we are really trying to look for here at Pioneer,” said Activities Director Michelle Mayhew.
For nominee Mika Perez, 12, homecoming court is more than just a tiara.
“I think it’s really fun, and we get to see the kids who stand out and that represent Pioneer in a good way. I think it’s not so much that I want a crown or I want a tiara, it’s more that you know that these are the people who deserve to be awarded for doing good things and being involved in the school,” said Perez.
According to Perez, it takes effort, a positive attitude and being able to work with other people to be involved with school activities. Gaining trust from peers and teachers and being both responsible and dependable are essential parts of being a nominee.
“I think I was nominated because I’ve been a part of leadership since freshman year and my class has seen me go through these steps and being so involved and they see me during rallies all the time helping out. This year I emceed a rally. I always have spirit when it comes to football games, rallies and dances and my classmates always come to me when they have questions, so I feel like they have trust in me,” said Perez. “I was in the newspaper for tennis and I think they see that. My classmates always come to me and ask me about my games, so I think that’s what they see in me.”
Not only do the student votes matter, the teacher votes do as well. There is a panel of teachers that interview the students and then vote on their top candidates. The student vote and teacher vote both equally affect the chance of students being chosen in the top four.
All nominees are also required to write a biography about themselves. It’s important that these students show teachers and their peers that they are involved in extracurriculars, have school spirit and help better the community.
“I started playing volleyball when I was a freshman. I made the junior varsity team, and then sophomore year and on, I was a starter on varsity. Aside from sports, I run the Pacific Islander club on campus. My whole philosophy for that was to create better awareness for the Pacific Islands and cultural awareness in general,” said Paloma. “This year I also started another club called Positive Balance. We want to continually break the stigma against needing mental help, I want people on campus to know that they’re not alone that there are other people going through something similar or maybe even the same thing as them. That’s also something that I’m really proud of.”
Little things also can play a big role in making people feel welcomed. Kitagawa sees these connections as a clear connection to his nomination.
“I think that I was nominated from all the small connections I’ve made in high school, just going around saying hi to people, learning everyone’s name and studying my yearbook so that I remember everyone’s name with their face, so that I can be polite and address them correctly,” said Kitagawa.
Seniors Kyle Kitagawa and Isabella Paloma were chosen as king and queen, while prince and princess went to Brendon Kurihara, 12, and Lydia Watson, 12.
“We try to express to the students that we want to nominate students not necessarily because their your friend or they’re popular but students that go above and beyond and exhibit all of those values that we are really trying to look for here at Pioneer,” said Activities Director Michelle Mayhew.
For nominee Mika Perez, 12, homecoming court is more than just a tiara.
“I think it’s really fun, and we get to see the kids who stand out and that represent Pioneer in a good way. I think it’s not so much that I want a crown or I want a tiara, it’s more that you know that these are the people who deserve to be awarded for doing good things and being involved in the school,” said Perez.
According to Perez, it takes effort, a positive attitude and being able to work with other people to be involved with school activities. Gaining trust from peers and teachers and being both responsible and dependable are essential parts of being a nominee.
“I think I was nominated because I’ve been a part of leadership since freshman year and my class has seen me go through these steps and being so involved and they see me during rallies all the time helping out. This year I emceed a rally. I always have spirit when it comes to football games, rallies and dances and my classmates always come to me when they have questions, so I feel like they have trust in me,” said Perez. “I was in the newspaper for tennis and I think they see that. My classmates always come to me and ask me about my games, so I think that’s what they see in me.”
Not only do the student votes matter, the teacher votes do as well. There is a panel of teachers that interview the students and then vote on their top candidates. The student vote and teacher vote both equally affect the chance of students being chosen in the top four.
All nominees are also required to write a biography about themselves. It’s important that these students show teachers and their peers that they are involved in extracurriculars, have school spirit and help better the community.
“I started playing volleyball when I was a freshman. I made the junior varsity team, and then sophomore year and on, I was a starter on varsity. Aside from sports, I run the Pacific Islander club on campus. My whole philosophy for that was to create better awareness for the Pacific Islands and cultural awareness in general,” said Paloma. “This year I also started another club called Positive Balance. We want to continually break the stigma against needing mental help, I want people on campus to know that they’re not alone that there are other people going through something similar or maybe even the same thing as them. That’s also something that I’m really proud of.”
Little things also can play a big role in making people feel welcomed. Kitagawa sees these connections as a clear connection to his nomination.
“I think that I was nominated from all the small connections I’ve made in high school, just going around saying hi to people, learning everyone’s name and studying my yearbook so that I remember everyone’s name with their face, so that I can be polite and address them correctly,” said Kitagawa.