Gallery • 10 Photos

Edith Orta

Denise Diaz is cherishing every moment of this.

Colton, CA—The 2022 Homecoming Court is set!

This morning, ASB and Link Crew crowned the selections to the 2022 Homecoming Court during the 2nd period announcements. The court royalty were provided with a decorative sash, single rose, and a crown.

The nominees for Homecoming Queen were Stephanie Alvarez, Katelynn De La Torre, Denise Diaz, Marissa Lopez, and Destiny Verduzco.

Selections for Homecoming King included: Gabriel Aparicio, Vincent De Anda, Nathaniel Martinez, Duke Medina, Samay Ramachhita, and Axel Vasquez.

Underclassmen princes and princesses were also named during the announcement. Freshmen prince and princess are Nova Guerrero and Aubree Gonzales; sophomore prince and princess are Isaac Morales and Tiffany Abril; and junior prince and princess are Jacob Alvarado and Denise Lupian.

This year’s Senior Court nominees came with a twist. Instead of there being 5 nominees for Homecoming King, as in previous years, due to a tie in votes, there are 6 nominees for 2022.

However, in an additional twist, one of those nominees may drop out of the race. Senior Nathaniel Martinez, who ran on a ticket with his girlfriend, Alison Favela, made a pact with her from the beginning of the process that if only one of them were selected to court, he or she would drop out.

“I’m glad for all the support,” Nathaniel said about his nomination. “I’ll probably drop out. That was the whole plan, to go together. And I’d rather be out with her than stay in by myself.”

Another interesting moment involved King nominee Samay Ramachhita, who was not in class during the announcement and coronation. Instead, he was with his mother in the guidance counseling. He found out over the announcement, but was surprised when Queen court nominee Stephanie Alvarez walked into the counseling office to coronate him.

“It’s just really cute and adorable,” Samay said about the experience of receiving his crown and sash in front of his mom. “And Stephanie walked in. I was so excited because we’re running together and when I heard her name, I was like, okay, we’re actually having to do this. It was just kind of like a reality check.”

For all the nominees, winning the vote was a special moment of validation. “I haven’t had this feeling in like forever,” said Queen nominee Stephanie Alvarez.

“It means a lot to me,” said Katelynn De La Torre. “I wasn’t really expecting people to put in votes like that. So it means a lot for people to be able to do that for me.”

Voting for Homecoming King and Queen will take place on September 27-28, with the announcement during halftime at the Homecoming game against Fontana on September 29. The Pepper Bough will be publishing features about each of the senior nominees throughout the week leading up to the big game.