In what is a first for Point Loma High School, two senior boys were elected as “homecoming royalty” instead of the traditional “king” and “queen.”
The two students were introduced at halftime of last Friday’s football game and walked under sword-holding members of the school’s Naval ROTC unit to the cheers of students.
Similar developments have been taking place at high schools across America in recent years. ASB advisor Amy Denney said this year’s election was a gender-neutral event with no designations of king, queen, prince or princess.
“We created a final ballot with the most often listed nominations for each grade that simply read, ‘Vote for two,'” Denney said.
The student vote created a boy and girl winner for the freshman, sophomore and junior classes, but two male students topped the seniors. Denney added that the same outcome (two boys elected) happened at the recent homecoming dance
The alumni parade at halftime featured a large contingent of former Pointers led by a “Golden Pointer” with a unique past. Patricia Goulart, Class of 1949, was the earliest grad in attendance. As a student, she traveled to Point Loma High daily from the Point Loma lighthouse, where her father was the last lightkeeper at the facility. He retired in 1952.
Also popular at the parade was the debut of Zip, the new official living Pointer dog. Wearing his special letterman sweater, he happily greeted alumni as they gathered for the parade and drew repeated smiles and “Awws” as he passed the packed stands on leash with his owner Lee Brown, Class of 1959.
The class competition was a battle between the junior and senior classes, both presenting spirited music-dance numbers as class members screamed their support from the stands. The freshman and sophomore classes were significantly less prepared.
Prior to the football game, boosters held a “Tailgate” buffet adjacent to the field catered by Adalberto’s Mexican Food on Rosecrans Street.
The Pointer football team put an exclamation mark on the evening’s events with a decisive 41-7 victory over visiting Olympian High School of Chula Vista.
