Senior princess Kayla Rios

Q: What homecoming tradition are you most excited for and why?

A: “The parade. It’s the time where the community comes together. Also, [we] have our homecoming pep rally afterward so it’s everything we do as a community [that comes] together that one night. The end of the night at the pep rally, the cheerleaders dance and homecoming court gets announced. We usually have old boneheads [who come] out or the football players are usually announced. I think that’s my favorite part of us coming together.”

Q: Have you always wanted to be on homecoming court? Why or why not?

A: “Yes, I guess I could say. I mean, freshman year I ran and lost. Then I ran in sophomore year and that was [when] I first got [nominated].”

Q: How does it feel to be nominated as homecoming princess?

A: “It feels good just because you know [you] got nominated. Someone thinks you’re worthy of having your name out there and representing part of the senior class.” 

Q: What made you want to be a part of the homecoming court?

A: “Well, this year, I got nominated by one of my friends, Brooke Tillman, and I said yes because it’s also her senior year and I’m willing to take that one step further to represent us together; the six of us [as a group].”

Q: Who/what inspired you to get involved in homecoming?

A: “My sister. [When] she was a senior, she was a homecoming princess. [Just] seeing her out on that [field] made me excited and proud of her. It’s a moment where I know I can make my parents proud. My sister was the biggest influence I had.”

Q: Do you feel that this homecoming is different than previous years? Why or why not? 

A: “We have a lot of traditions that go into our homecoming. A lot of it is usually the same. This year, we have the Disney theme. We incorporate the little kids and the parade, so it’s one of the biggest differences. We have a really strong theme where the homecoming community comes together as one. Besides that, I feel like we always had the same traditions and we’re OK with that. I feel like little kids are very excited about it.”