By Ava Klein
Executive Life Editor
As the Homecoming Court rounded the corner of the Mira Costa track in vintage Ford Mustangs on Oct. 19, the night was bound to be unforgettable.
The energy and emotion in the football stands was palpable as students, parents and faculty held their breath in anticipation of the revealing of the 2012 Homecoming King and Queen.
Seniors Jack Hadley and Rachel Humphrey were crowned King and Queen during halftime of the Homecoming football game on Oct. 19. Although it may appear as a cliche and cheesy tradition, Homecoming can be influential to those who win.
“My heart started pounding extremely fast [after hearing the announcement],” Humphrey said. “It was one of the best moments of high school. Both of my older sisters actually won queen [when they were at Costa], and it was so surreal being in the same exact place they were seven and nine years ago.”
Throughout the week before Homecoming King and Queen were announced,the Homecoming court, which consisted of six boys and six girls, participated in various activities during lunch. Activities included a balloon toss competition and racing to lick peanut butter off plexiglass.
“I had a genuinely great time during the week when we did the activities during lunch,” Homecoming Court princess Meghan Burns said. “I was able to build really close relationships with the all of the other Court members, especially with my partner Adam Gerard.”
Humphrey’s involvement in both the Costa girls basketball team and Associated Student Body have helped to shape her positive outlook on Costa. Humphrey is currently the vice president of ASB and a member of the Varsity basketball team.
“ASB has had the biggest impact on me throughout high school,” Humphrey said. “Learning to lead and be part of a group that puts on countless events for a large school has helped me in numerous ways and has led me to meet great people. Playing basketball for Costa has also shaped me to push myself and be efficient, both on and off the court.”
Along with her dedication to ASB and the basketball team, Humphrey is also passionate about several on-campus clubs. According to Humprey, her involvement in Costa clubs is another way that Humphrey feels connected to the Costa community.
“Participating in clubs and service projects like the ‘Ronald McDonald House’ and ‘Richstone’ are really inspiring and meaningful to me,” Humphrey said.
Similarly to Humphrey, Hadley also channels his passions into his extracurricular activities. He is on the Costa football team and is the president of New Life Christian Club. According to Hadley, religion has played an extremely important role in his life.
“Without a doubt, the thing that has shaped my life the most has been my Christian faith and my involvement in my church,” Hadley said. “I have also been strongly impacted by playing both football and baseball, which have both helped me stretch my mental and physical limits.”
According to Hadley, several teachers at Costa have deeply inspired him. Some of Hadley’s most influential teachers that he has had thus far include history teacher Bill Fauver, English teacher Deborah Hofreiter and chemistry teacher Charlotte Shales-Clark.
“Mr. Fauver taught me the material effectively and strengthened my political beliefs and activism,” Hadley said. “At the same time, my chemistry classes showed me that I could have a future in the sciences as well as the social sciences.”
According to Hadley, the process of becoming Homecoming King was life-changing and cathartic. Hadley discovered that he is more extroverted than he originally thought he was.
“As soon as I found out that I won Homecoming, I was super excited that my classmates think so highly of me,” Hadley said. “It was great that Rachel and I won together since we were partners all week long, which only made it more fun.”
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