Now that the 2018 homecoming court has been chosen, all systems are go for one of the most anticipated events on the high school calendar.

Baylie Alley, Kirstin Dorney, Shante Duminie, Natalie Masetti, Madilyn Riegel, Jaymi Smith, Lilyana Wagner and Alyssa Zack were selected from the girls in the senior class.

Hayden Bobbyn, Daniel Burke, Zachary Creighton, Willard Dellicker, Ryan Haas, Nolan Hernandez, Tyler Lobach and Samuel Seyfried were selected from the boys for a coveted spot on the homecoming court.

The king and queen will not be revealed until halftime at the homecoming game Oct. 5.

Last year’s homecoming queen, Morgan Moss, and king, Willem Birgel, are expected to attend the festivities and pass on the baton.

Voting for the court took place Sept. 26-28.

“Voting was done through a Google form sent to students’ email,” said Nicole Zimmerman, senior class adviser. “Each member of the student body could select eight boys and eight girls from a list of seniors.”

The votes were tallied electronically.

“The data was pulled from that Google form onto a spread sheet,” Zimmerman said. “It’s not an easy task to select the court with the high caliber of students we have at Northwestern.”

According to Zimmerman, a member of the court is “somebody who has taken the time to connect with their classmates, a leader, someone who represents our school and community in a positive way.”

The court was announced Sept. 28 at the end of the day.

The following week “a new ballot went only to seniors on the Google form listing] homecoming court members,” allowing only seniors to vote for their king and queen.

“For me, as a football player, it’s a cool way to get recognized,” said Derek Holmes. “This year, we’re facing a rival, Southern Lehigh. We’re mostly focused on the game.”

Zimmerman remembers her own homecoming when she was a Northwestern student.

“There’s something about the energy in the stadium that night,” she said. “I was a cheerleader then, so I can relate to the football players and just being excited for my friends on the homecoming court.”

Class officers agreed homecoming is a big landmark for the seniors, naming Mr. Northwestern, the prom and graduation as other important events.

“Homecoming allows us to connect with everybody,” Holmes said, who is also the class treasurer. “The prom is a senior thing, but this is an all grade level, schoolwide event.”

“Homecoming is the first time we’ll be able to acknowledge the senior class,” added Chris Hippensteel, class secretary and also a football player. “It’s a great way to celebrate our class and our community.”

“It’s also right in the beginning of the year, so homecoming kind of kick starts everything,” said Zachary Creighton, class vice president and a member of the court.

The homecoming dance is set for the night of Oct. 6 in the high school cafeteria.

“We’re not going to have a set theme,” said Nolan Hernandez, senior class president and another member of the court, “We’re going to decorate with lights and handout glow sticks.”

The class officers were instrumental in preparing for the homecoming dance and Zimmerman had nothing but praise for their leadership.

“They’ve really done an amazing job just leading the class. The connectivity in this class is something that I’ve never seen,” Zimmerman said. “The four officers really take the time to reach out to the class for their input.”

“They really seek the input of their peers, so they get [the] female perspective.

“They have a lot of respect for each other. There’s a lot of leadership roles within their families.”

Some accounts trace the first homecoming to 1911 when 10,000 alumni and fans returned to the University of Missouri for a celebratory week that included rallies, dances and a parade preceding the big game.

Over a hundred years later, it still has significance for many.

“[Homecoming] is a great way for former students, staff members, and the community to come together to celebrate,” Zimmerman said.