On Thursday, Oct. 12, students at CAHS gathered in the quad at lunch to vote for the 2016 Homecoming King and Queen. They were given a ballot, and then went to cubicles to vote.

Student voters gave various reasons for choosing the people they did and, in doing so, shed light on the reality of Homecoming voting. When asked about the people for whom she voted, senior Karis Cho said, “I just think they’re both very deserving people. They’ve been really faithful to all of the school and really kind of the whole student body.”

Another senior, David Zhou, also shared his reasons. “[The people I voted for are] both really big inspirations to the senior class,” Zhou said. “[The king that I voted for] is always welcoming of others and always has a smile on his face. [The queen that I voted for] is really smart and she’s always been really helpful to others.” When asked if he thinks that the underclassmen could learn from these two nominees, Zhou said, “Yes, definitely.”

These two seniors bulldozed the stereotypes of homecoming voting, displaying whom they consider to be important and deserving of the Homecoming crown. Yet the reasons they gave had nothing to do with the popularity or looks of the two nominees, but instead explained the quality of their character.

Insight into for whom seniors voted and why provides a new meaning to the Homecoming Dance. To them, it’s not just a dance; it is a way to close the door on high school and look back on the past four years of their lives and the people who made those four years so impactful. Hopefully these seniors will serve as role models not just to freshmen, but the entire school.