Hearing your name being announced in front of the whole town. Being crowned homecoming king and queen. The adrenaline rush that follows this moment is a memory that will last a lifetime. 

This is the memory that seniors Heidi Krajicek and Jesse Keiser created Friday night following the football game against Wilber-Clatonia.

The homecoming king and queen are voted on by the entire high school. This is what makes the moment even more memorable for those who are elected. 

“It is truly an honor to be crowned king and queen,” student council sponsor and homecoming director Amy Arensberg said. “It means your peers consider you a leader, and they want you to be recognized.”

There is no one specific group of students that usually are crowned. The groups of people that are selected vary each year, depending on who the student body choses.

“We’ve had band kids, three-sport athletes or kids that are only involved in academic groups all be crowned,” Arensberg said. “Personally, I like it when there is more of a diverse group represented by all student groups.”

Knowing that your peers have the opportunity to vote for whomever is a huge confidence builder for those selected.

“For me, I don’t usually hang out with people often, and to know that people around the school thought that I should be queen felt good,” Krajicek said. 

While students may vote for king and queen for various reasons, Keiser thinks personality came into play this year.

“I believe that Heidi and I were elected because of how we portray ourselves,” Keiser said. “Being nice to everyone and being able to communicate with your peers is a big part of people voting for you.”

Krajicek agrees with Keiser’s thoughts on personality playing a role in the voting process. 

“I try to be helpful to people in the school and show that just because I’m a senior I can still help out with things and show leadership instead of leaving it to the underclassman to do,” Krajicek said.

Regardless of the reason for the vote, the feeling of winning is something that lasts beyond one night.

“In life, you only get to become king once,” Keiser said, “and it’s something I will remember for the rest of my life.”