 Princess Olivia Hair, King Andrew Gibson, and Queen Alexandra Stanford. Grace Fendrick Features and Web Editor Many showed off their school spirit during Peak Week 2015. Both students and faculty members flashed back to the past on Hippie Day, followed by a sneak peek into the future on Senior Citizen Day. On Tourist Day, a group of vacationers started off the one day “staycation” with an early morning luau. There was no shortage of patriotism for the U.S. of A. on Red, White, and Blue Day. The best day by far was Friday, Black and Gold Day, which was full of sparkles and excitement. For members of the Homecoming Court, Peak Week started a bit earlier. On Wednesday, September 9 the final ballots came out. Homecoming Princess Olivia Hair remembers hearing her name in the announcements while in Spanish class with Homecoming Queen Alexandra Stanford. Hair continued saying, “I looked over at her and she was like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ and then she heard her name, so we were both really excited.” Homecoming King Andrew “Gibby” Gibson recalls seeing his name on the ballot saying, “I just really appreciate everyone that voted for me because you hadn’t won anything at that point. It was really cool that people think enough of me to put me in the top ten.” Before all of the festivities began, the ladies of the Court met up at the then unknown Homecoming Queen’s house to decorate posters for the parade, and all too soon it was Friday. The morning can be summed up in two words: glitter explosion. It was all over the floors, desks, backpacks, and people. Everyone, whether it be underclassmen, upperclassmen, or faculty, were excited to be sporting their spirit wear. At the beginning of fourth period, the pep rallies began. Click "Read More" to get a recap of the pep rally, parade, and game and much more (including lots of pictures)!  The Pep Rallies Student Council Advisor Ms. Carly Brown was running around making sure everything ran smoothly. Once all the athletes, Homecoming Court couples, and drumline were in place, the freshmen and sophomores started to enter. When everything settled down Student Body President Tyler Jones and vice-president Andrew Mason, both seniors, took the stage, or rather the (basketball) court. The sports teams charged out from behind the curtain, including the men’s soccer teams who came out somersaulting and attempting to cartwheel. The couples then began their skits. Queen Alex Stanford and Derek Duin paired up to do an 80’s exercise routine, inspired by their mutual passion for running. They made sure to make it “really ridiculous because it’s your one chance to do something stupid in front of the whole school,” explains Stanford. Although the two pep rallies were very similar, there were a few differences; most notably is that only in the upperclassmen pep rally was the homecoming king announced. The underclassmen did get their fair share of excitement, however, when Court member Gregory Hall fell out of his Power Wheels Barbie Jammin' Jeep during his skit alongside Soren Bradley. King Gibby said this was the funniest part while Queen Alex confirmed that it was “also very unplanned.” When it came time to announce Homecoming King, everything went quiet. When Jones and Mason were getting ready to announce Gibson says he “was trying to look at Andrew [Mason] and kind of trying to see what he was seeing. Then when they said ‘Andrew Gibson,’ I looked at them and said ‘I won?!’” The Parade Residents of Apex were very excited for the annual Homecoming Parade. It included floats for many clubs, the band, and of course the ladies on the Homecoming Court. Stanford said she felt like royalty as well as slightly awkward being the center of attention. “My favorite moment was when I saw my dad, and my dad looked at me and pointed at me and started crying. I just lost it; it was so emotional.” The Game The student section was overflowing before the game even started, filled with Peak Pride. The game was stressful, ending in an overtime win against longtime rival Cary High School (for a recap of the game click here). Halftime began with the band making their way onto the field, ready to accompany the ladies’ introductions.  The Homecoming King and Queen are two iconic roles that are always remembered, but another person to remember is the Homecoming Princess. Olivia Hair was crowned Princess by her skit partner, King Gibby, while standing alongside her brother and escort Trevor Hair, who was the 2014 Homecoming King and class of 2015’s salutatorian. “My brother and I are incredibly close. He is my rock, and I also hadn’t seen him for like a month,” Princess Olivia says explaining her choosing Trevor as her escort. “It was really surreal walking out with my best friend in the entire world.” Despite her brother’s previous reign, she assures us that there was no extra pressure to follow in her brother’s footsteps. Stanford said that when she heard Olivia’s name announced as princess, she was surprised because she thought Olivia should have been Queen and wondered who had beat her. That question was answered shortly after, when Alexandra Stanford was crowned Homecoming Queen of 2015. “I can’t even remember what I said; I know it was something really stupid. I think I said ‘Oh my God!’ but in a voice that was totally not me.” The Experience “What is so cool about this whole thing is that Apex High School picks a group of such different people for their homecoming court,” Hair says. “I really feel like I’ve made friendships that I would have never in a million years would have made without this.” Queen Alex also took a lot from the whole experience saying, “In past years it’s been competitive and really cliquey. [This year] It was more of a ‘let’s see how many memories we can make,’ which was the best part for me.” For more pictures check out Chris Mervin's photos from the game (including the crownings) here.
Comments are closed.
|
