MANSFIELD, Ohio – For the first time in school history, Madison Comprehensive High School will name its first-ever senior Homecoming King to reign alongside the senior Homecoming Queen.
Madison’s longstanding tradition of only electing a Homecoming Queen was broken this year by student council advisors Jen Branstetter and Laura Coey. Branstetter explained both she and Coey had grown up in schools that traditionally named a King and Queen, and she wanted to bring the tradition to Madison.
“Madison has a lot of different traditions I didn’t grow up with, but I’ve noticed a lot in area schools that they only have a queen court,” said Branstetter, in her fourth year as a teacher at Madison. “[Coey and I] both came from schools that had king courts, so we decided we’re going to start that up this year, and so far I think it’s been a success.”
The senior class at Madison elected 10 senior boys and girls to be Homecoming royalty, and the top five boys and girls to the King and Queen court. The entire school will cast their vote for who should become Homecoming King and Queen during Homecoming week.
The Homecoming royalty will be named on Friday, Oct. 2 – the King during a special senior assembly on Friday afternoon, and the Queen during the Homecoming football game against Lexington on Friday night. The new King and Queen will reign during the “Neon Lights” Homecoming dance on Oct. 3.
“A lot of our King court is football players, so during that assembly we’re going to announce the king in front of the senior class, and the queen will be announced at the halftime show,” said Branstetter. “At the Homecoming football game we’ll have boxes with balloons, and the girl that opens the box with different color balloons than everyone else is the queen.”
Branstetter said administrators, teachers and students have all been supportive about adding a King court to the Homecoming festivities. Senior Olivia Rickert, a member of the Queen court, said people around the school have been excited.
“It’s fun the guys get to be a part of it and it’s not just a girl thing. The whole senior class can get involved,” said Rickert.
“All the girls worry about it, so now the guys get to instead,” she said with a laugh.
Seniors Tyler Jordan and Jacob Seamans, members of the King court, both noted the similarities between Homecoming and Prom with the addition of a King.
“It’s cool and different,” said Seamans.
“I’m kind of nervous but I just go with the flow – if I make it I’ll realize a lot of people I didn’t know like me and look up to me in the school,” said Jordan. “It’ll be cool, something to put in the Madison history books.”
Branstetter added for the most part, all the boys involved in King court have said it’s awesome they get to be more involved in Homecoming.
“I’m all about community and making this school a giant community, so whenever you can incorporate more kids into what you’re doing it makes it a better community,” she said. “We’re really excited to see how it all turns out.”
“It’s fun the guys get to be a part of it and it’s not just a girl thing. The whole senior class can get involved,” said Olivia Rickert. “All the girls worry about it, so now the guys get to instead,”
