Homecoming has always been an important tradition for high school students, administration, and alumni.
A lot of people believe it’s just about a football game or the dance but it’s more than that. It’s a celebration of unity.
“The tradition of homecoming has a lot more to do with the celebration of togetherness and the return of alumni… when the alumni come back to the school they graduated from to celebrate their college days. The reason for all this is to let the alumni know they are still a part of their college’s ever-growing family,” Faith Tacey wrote for The Bottomline News.
Few people actually know this because most people prepare for the dance.
That’s not a bad thing, after all, this is a celebration. And most people celebrate through fun times.
In Fulton High School in Knoxville, Tennessee though, they did something different with this year’s homecoming.
Yes, they celebrated the coming home of the alumni through a football game and dance that showed school spirit. The school body decided to celebrate the life of a classmate, Jake Lyon.
Jake is no ordinary student. He’s a special and special needs student.
“He’s just like the happiest person I’ve ever met. He’s always smiling, he’ll make your day any day,” Chloey Brown, his classmate, said.
That’s why she wasn’t surprised he won homecoming king. Yes, Jake won.
And this honor isn’t bestowed on just anyone. This is an honor that isn’t appointed by the administration or the faculty. To be homecoming king, you need to have the majority votes of qualified students.
This all happened during the homecoming game.
The homecoming court, which included Jake, was there to be presented to the crowd. Jake’s parents, Keith and Amy, were also there to witness this special moment.
Before the game started, they had awarded the homecoming king and queen. Jake was escorted by two of his classmates and, when they announced he won homecoming king, last year’s homecoming king stepped up to place his sash and the crown on his head.
Although Jake couldn’t speak clearly, it was so obvious from his voice that he was so happy and excited to have been chosen by his peers.
“Joy, happiness, it was great to see. With his history of struggling from childhood, this means the world,” Keith Lyon, Jake’s father, said.
His mother, Amy, stood by the stands and couldn’t contain her tears of joy.
His classmates, including the football players, stood beside him after the announcement to take photos with the king. It was a great celebration for such a special teenager.
What the Fulton high school students did for Jake was so inspiring and heartwarming.
Our society has come a long way from the previous generations. People are now being honored for their personalities instead of their looks.
Congratulations to Jake and the Fulton High School students!
Watch Jake get crowned in the video below.
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