By Lisa Carolin
Chelsea High School has changed its Homecoming Queen award.
Chelsea High School families recently received a letter from Student Council President Drew Vanderspool telling them that, “We are reinventing the Homecoming Queen award into the Chelsea Excellence Award.”
Vanderspool stated that the Student Council’s mission is to ensure school programs and events are inclusive and beneficial to everyone.
“With that in mind, we have reviewed the Homecoming Queen award and concluded that it is outdated and not representative of what we want students to strive to be here at CHS,” he stated.
The Homecoming Queen award has been associated with being pretty and popular and limited to specific categories of students.
“Rather, we believe that the award should be available to all, and should demonstrate the qualities CHS tries to bring out in us,” he stated.
There have been complaints about the award from students, nominees, parents, faculty and community members, and students created this video sharing their thoughts-https://youtu.be/53Y_1yx8x-c
Vanderspool stated, “The Chelsea Excellence Award will be able to be won by anyone who truly embodies what it means to be a Chelsea High School student, based on a variety of characteristics emphasized in the CHS Graduate Learner Profile, including creativity, character, kindness, service, scholarship, and leadership.”
Students will now include reasons why their nominee deserves the award, which will be read aloud at the pep rally and football game. There will be four nominees and one winner from each grade, and the winner from the senior class will receive a plaque and get their name inscribed on a plaque at the high school.
“Council’s hope is that this prestigious award will not only represent a positive change in emphasizing the values we share as a community, but that it will also be an honor that winners can add to their college applications and resumes,” Vanderspool stated.
