A group of Arizona parents called Concerned Viking Families (CVF) told The Arizona Sun Times that the homecoming king and queen were stripped away from the Sunnyslope High School (SHS) of the Glendale Union High School District (GUHSD). Leah Clark, a teacher at SHS, allegedly made the student council she oversees vote to remove the longstanding tradition to avoid hurting feelings.
“The student council teachers/advisors at Sunnyslope High School (part of Glendale Unified) took it upon herself to demand that her student council class vote on terminating the longstanding tradition of homecoming king/queen court because it’s not diverse or inclusive and hurts students’ feelings. And also because it’s hard to have to tell people they’ve lost,” said leaders of the CVF to The Sun Times.
Leaders of the group argued the teacher pushed and encouraged her agenda on the group of 40 ninth-grade through 12th-grade students on the council. Because the student council is a graded class, some students allegedly feared being negatively impacted if they voted against the plan.
“The burden of this impactful decision should never have been put on the shoulders of the student council class. They decide themes and sell T-shirts- not make decisions to change 100-year-old traditions,” said the CVF.
The CVF alleged that a reason for scrapping homecoming royalty was a popularity contest, so removing it would eliminate potential conflict or sadness when a student is not chosen. The group sent a letter to the SHS voicing its concerns.
“In truth, lots of things in life are a popularity contest to a degree including becoming a captain of a team; becoming a leader in a club or organization; or, even becoming a Student Council Officer,” wrote the CVF in a letter shared with The Sun Times. “It is a valuable lesson to learn to compete in that realm in high school – as it applies to so many situations in life.”
The group stated that the district board and the school’s principal had approved this new direction away from the traditional homecoming court. In a letter from the school’s principal, Jonathan Parker, which CVF shared with The Sun Times, he said a homecoming court would still occur at the school. Yet, instead of crowning a king or queen, their peers will select six seniors to make up the court. He also stated this decision would not affect any other Homecoming Week events.
Yet, the CVF insists that this is still a problem. Even if this issue appears minuscule on the outside, the group argues it presents a slippery slope for SHS’s future.
“What is next? Will we no longer have Prom king/queen?? No more tryouts? No more elections for student council all because of hurt feelings?? The stakes are so much higher than it looks on the surface. This is about much more than homecoming court; it is about the indoctrination of this generation, they [the schools] take little steps incrementally, little by little, bit by bit and we end up relinquishing everything,” the group said.
The SHS’s homecoming festivities are set for Friday when the CVF will protest the change.
Anyone who would like to show support for the CVF’s cause can sign its online petition here.
– – –
Neil Jones is a reporter for The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Neil on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “High School Homecoming Court” by Ron Cogswell. CC BY 2.0.
