Since the first dance in 1939, New Trier has never had a Homecoming king or queen. Having such a large school, it seems realistic to not nominate two of the 4,000 plus students to stand out as “the best.”

Senior Gillian Keebler said, “I think that’s a good thing because there’s so much pressure at New Trier already to look and be the best, so adding on yet another competition would just create more pressure and room for disappointment.”

Senior John Healy said the point of having a king or queen in the first place is “to feed the popular kids’ ego.” He said, “If we had a king and queen chosen today, students would be devastated if they didn’t win. Popularity would determine who would win and that does not make it fair to everyone.”

In regards to why schools choose a king and queen, Keebler said, “someone to represent the school’s image, probably. It’s a chance to be recognized by your peers for a night, even though in most cases the king/queen was usually recognized before.”

In many cases, not having a king and queen for dances reduces pressure because students put so much time and energy into Homecoming night as it is. Choosing a king or queen would most likely result in a drop in self-esteem for some students. However, others may find it a regular thing and not a big deal whether or not they win. The risk of offending students by creating competition is not worth it.

Head of the social studies department, Deborah Johnson said, “When I was in high school, Homecoming week was a big deal. I came from a very traditional school, so we had a king and queen, but I’m guessing it was because the school wanted to make the Homecoming week feel more special.”

Johnson also said, “I remember being in college at Northwestern. I don’t remember having a Homecoming king, but we definitely had a queen, which was super exciting because they weren’t picked by random vote, but rather through their own personal campaign.”

‘If we had a king and queen chosen today, students would be devastated.”
-John Healy

Homecoming kings and queens tend to be found in more southern schools, where it is a tradition in the town’s culture. Many southern high schools and colleges, such as the University of Texas, make their Homecoming king and queen a very big deal.

Keebler said, “My cousin who lives in Ohio had queen/kings and she said she was very indifferent to them- they never really affected her, but she knows friends who were upset watching someone else win something at an event that’s supposed to be all about fun.”

Johnson also mentioned, “Everyone should feel special and good on such a special weekend where they get to dress up and have a fun time.”