Being escorted by a parent onto the football field to be crowned the prince or princess in front of hundreds of people is a dream for some, but a nightmare for others. As students take to ballots online, their peers ponder being elected into Homecoming court with mixed emotions; while many students aim to be elected to Homecoming court, some fear such recognition in front of hundreds of their peers, staff, and parents alike. Despite these two schools of thought, the most general consensus for students and their Homecoming hopes and fears is that they simply do not care. Remaining indifferent, most students welcome the notion of being elected, but no feelings are hurt upon seeing a few of their lucky, or unlucky, peers stroll across the gym and football field during Homecoming festivities.

  Some students fantasize about being honored by their peers as Homecoming prince or princess, as sophomore Mark Mogensen did before he won last year, “I was really hoping to win, and when I found out that I won, it was the greatest feeling.” It’s a dream of some after seeing similar situations played out in movies and television programs. Many students take to virtual campaigning to plead their case for Homecoming court, whether it’s a Twitter or verbal crusade. People like this are found obnoxious by their peers, but some choose not to care at all.

  While some yearn and thirst for the recognition of their fellow classmates, others are content with not being elected to the court, however, most are generally apathetic towards the matter. “I don’t really care. If I won, I’d be happy, but I don’t really care,” said freshman Nick Sweger. Although it might be a common dream amongst many students, some students like Sweger do not necessarily prefer to be in the lime light of the popularity pinnacle in high school.

 Indifference was a trend in senior Brianna Curran’s election to freshman Homecoming court. “I was apathetic. I didn’t really know what was happening,” said Curran. For Curran, winning Homecoming court is an honor bestowed upon the winner by their peers, not because of endless verbal and social media campaigns. “I think that people vote for you because they respect you and begging for votes kind of defeats the purpose,” said Curran. Students that beg or virtually campaign for votes annoy Mogensen as well, as he said that, “It’s dishonest. You should just be genuine and let people make their choice.”

 Although junior Mariana Brazao does not deny an element of apathy when it came to winning Homecoming court her freshman year, she explains that she enjoyed winning because it helped her get acquainted at a relatively new school. “It was nice because I was still new to the school; it was only my second year in Sterling after I moved in eighth grade,” said  Brazao.

 Aside from apathy and a desire to win, there are a select few students that resent the idea of winning Homecoming. Many students dream of not winning most likely because of the aspect of being in the spotlight in front of hundreds of people, especially because most of those people are one’s peers. Most introverted people would be subject to meeting their fears of the spotlight of the public. “I think it would be funny if someone won who didn’t want to, because they’re probably shy or quiet,” said Mogensen.

 Students’ opinions on the notion of winning Homecoming elude to the beauty of Homecoming itself. Homecoming is whatever one chooses to make of it. Students can go to the dance and have a great time, while some can go for 45 minutes and leave for other endeavors. Whether you are winning Homecoming court, decorating a hallway, or getting water in the cafeteria while an unpopular  song plays, Homecoming is what you make of it.