High School Sparks Debate By Replacing Homecoming Queen With "Excellence Award"

Trending

High School Sparks Debate By Replacing Homecoming Queen With "Excellence Award"

Courtesy of Alagich Katya

A majority of high school students look forward to homecoming.

It's an annual tradition that brings people together, and in my experience, it was loads of fun.

Of course, every girl fantasizes about winning the title of Homecoming Queen, but simply having a good night with friends is enough to get people hyped up for the event.

But like all old traditions, there will be a group of people asking for things to change.

While change isn't always bad, it does spark a lot of discussion.

A Michigan high school is deciding to stop crowning homecoming queens, as they call it an "outdated" tradition, and people have a lot of say about this change...

After a number of bullying issues at Chelsea High School, the Student Council committee has decided to put an end to the competitive nature of being titled homecoming queen.

"We don't want one of the biggest awards at our school to be associated with 'pretty' or 'popular' stereotypes or to be limited to a specific category of students," Student Council President Drew Vanderspool wrote in a letter.

"It was an issue that we've had for a long time, and we never got around to solving it," Maddie Dunlap, a sophomore and the Student Council public relations chairperson added. "We thought it was time for a change."

The school doesn't plan to scrap this tradition for good, however.

They plan to replace the beloved title with an "excellence award."

This award is reportedly open to students of any gender and will consider their "academic, social, and emotional attributes," according to teacher Valerie Johnson, who is the Student Council adviser.

"Nobody really has a good reason why they want it to stay the same. We think as a student council, the negative feedback is not even close to outweighing the positivity that this award will spread," Dunlap said.

While many people have congratulated the high school on the change, others are not so sure about it.

On WXYZ-TV Channel 7's Facebook page, social media users weighed in on the "excellence award."

"We should just cut to the chase and give everyone a 4.0 GPA while we're at it, just so the students who don't put the hard work in don't feel bad," someone commented.

"'Because girls were often left with hurt feelings'. Seriously? That's called LIFE. Deal with it," another wrote.

"WHY? That made high school fun for us! The choices are made by vote, so what's the harm? Kids are 'soft' nowadays.. My class Homecoming King & Queen were active in student government, made excellent grades, and active in their churches... Thirty-two years later, our alumni still keep in touch..," another user chimed in.

But there was a lot of praise for the change, as well.

"I always thought this was a useless thing and surprised it took so long to set aside. What is the point? Popularity contest?? Meh," someone wrote.

"Great idea! It's outdated anyways, I think students should come up with new ideas, something that fits the new generation."

Despite the controversy, a student at Chelsea High School will receive the "Excellence Award" at the school's homecoming football game on September 21.

According to Michigan Radio, the student council has not decided whether they're going to change their other school traditions, such as crowning a prom king and queen.

[H/T: Fox News]

Do you think the high school made the right choice? Let us know in the comments!

Moojan has been a writer at Shared for a year. When she's not on the lookout for viral content, she's looking at cute animal photos. Reach her at moojan@shared.com.