With the homecoming game and dance right around the corner, the roster of this year’s Apex High School homecoming court is out! This year, there are ten queens and eight kings nominated to the court. The nominations were “write in” to a Google Form, with the link provided in cougar class a week before Homecoming Week begins. The decisions were made the night of voting and announced the day after. The Cougars nominated to the court are as follows: 

Queens Court:

Kenya Crosland

Hali Diallo

Claire Hammer

Cheka Money 

Bailey O’Connell

Anna Grace Parrish

Addison Styers

Avery Sullins

Sophia Taylor

Grace Teborek

Kings Court:

Maxton Bohm 

Wyatt Davis

Ryan Hammer

Elias Jeffries

Chase Klingemann 

Alex Shelton

Charlie Vickery

Nico Woodring

Most of the nominees made campaigns to get their name onto the ballot. Some others tried and were unsuccessful. Some had others helping out: “I didn’t campaign for homecoming court, my sister really did for me. She posted photos of me, spread the word and it worked,” says Sophia Taylor, one of the candidates for Homecoming queen. Another candidate Alex Shelton says, “I kind of did! My girlfriend campaigned for both of us, by kind of casually asking our friends, but I didn’t make any posts or signs or ask around random people.”

Homecoming court isn’t just wearing a sash and walking on a field, though. There has been a lot going into the process. “It’s fun! But we do a lot,” adds Sophia Taylor. Apart from a mandatory meeting on Friday, there was also a mandatory meeting for all on the court on Monday as well. The meeting lasted two hours, where they were briefed on everything they needed to do while on the court and were given their sashes. The meeting also entailed learning dances for the pep rally and instructions to dress every day of spirit week. 

The Homecoming Court will be featured three times before the winner is announced during halftime at the Homecoming game: once in the pep rally, where they will perform four dances (two separate between kings and queens and two together), once in the homecoming parade, and lastly during halftime, where they will walk the field. 

Overall, everybody was excited to see that they had made it and to participate in the activities. “I was so excited! It was cool to see that [Ryan and I ] both made it,” says Claire Hammer, a nominee on the queen’s court. “I think it’s pretty cool, and I didn’t really expect it to happen. Honestly, I’m nervous about some of the things we have to do, but afterwards I’ll be able to go ‘yeah that was fun I’m glad I did that’,” adds Alex Shelton.

See all of the nominees in the Pep Rally this friday, and join in on the Homecoming festivities!