Homecoming sweethearts break a trend

Photo by Kristen Zung

Hannah Johnson and Kyle Dozier smile for a picture after winning Homecoming king and queen.

For seniors Hannah Johnson and Kyle Dozier, winning Homecoming king and queen is more than a walk across the football field and a convertible ride around the track.
For Johnson and Dozier, friends since kindergarten and a couple since their sophomore year, the ability to share this honor together makes it all the more memorable. The two have been prince and princess nominees since freshman year, but had never experienced a victorious ride around the track until this year.

“I’ve always gone to the Homecoming games since I was little and I’ve always watched the queen go up,” Johnson said.  “It’s pretty cool.”

Both are athletes.  Dozier plays wide receiver on the football team as well as basketball and baseball.  Johnson is a basketball and track and field standout. 
Despite being nominated every year, Johnson was still surprised to win this time around.

“A few people said they were voting for us, but we have never won, so I was only expecting to be nominated,” Johnson said.
Not only will their win be sentimental to them, but it will hold a special place in school history.  It has been several years since neither king nor queen was a member of the band.

Of this year’s final round nominees, only two seniors, Kevin Chen and Michelle Chan, were marching band members.  Final nominees for king were seniors Chen, Dozier and Sasan Sadaat.

Final nominees for queen were Chan, Evelyn Lee and Hannah Johnson.

In recent years, most of the more than 200 band members have voted as a bloc for one or both of the drum majors.

“Before it was each social clique for itself, and marching band was always the biggest one,” said senior Sanjna Verma, head Homecoming commissioner.  “This year’s senior class is full of school spirit and they’ve made an effort to know the other grades and students of their own class better.  Hannah and Kyle have been really special to the school and to each other.”

Following the game, the couple went out to dinner at Jake’s after the game to celebrate.

“I thought it was really fun, especially to win with Hannah,” senior Kyle Dozier said.

To Johnson, winning the Homecoming queen title gave her more confidence and a stronger kinship to the school.

“It’s nice to know that people support you at the school,” Johnson said.