A Night to Remember

PAULA KIRYA
Staff Writer

Homecoming is an annual tradition that welcomes students back to their schools and is the highlight of the fall for many. With it being one of the most extravagant dances of the school year, it is an opportunity for exceptional incidents to transpire.

For some, homecoming had not turned out how they planned. Some girls attending Bingham High School this year were disappointed when they weren’t permitted access into their school’s homecoming dance. The staff defended their decision, citing a dress code violation, yet girls claimed that they were not thoroughly checked for any valid violation.

However, for North Texas High School’s Lillian Skinner, her homecoming experience was quite the contrary. Skinner had been purposely misinformed by a group of girls, who claimed she had been nominated for their school’s homecoming court. Hearing of the cruel prank, Skinner’s friends Anahi Alvarez and Naomi Martinez, who were genuine nominees for the court, promised to crown Skinner as queen if given the title. Alvarez owned up to the pact when she was announced queen and handed the honor over to Skinner. Following the event, Alvarez said, “[Lillian] won. I just ran in her place.”

Homecoming took an unexpected twist at South Jones High School when senior Mary Kate Smith was crowned this year’s Homecoming queen. Smith would seem like any other homecoming queen, except she is a kicker for the varsity football team. Although it came across as a surprise to many in the public, Smith’s classmates and members of her community have been supportive of her crowning and football career, with those young and old finding Smith a hero and a positive role model.

Though the experiences range from good to bad, stories like those of Lillian Skinner and Mary Kate Smith exhibit the power students have to make a difference in their communities.