Behind the scenes

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Snyder High School homecoming queen nominees give inside look at game day preparation

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  • Snyder High School homecoming queen nominee Kerrington Biggers enjoyed a manicure and pedicure at Le Nails and Spa.
    Snyder High School homecoming queen nominee Kerrington Biggers enjoyed a manicure and pedicure at Le Nails and Spa.
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Glitz and glamour took the field last night as five homecoming queen nominees stood under the Friday night lights. But for the five high school seniors, it wasn’t easy getting there.

Homecoming is a highlight in many communities, but it is also a pressure situation for the nominees. 

They must dedicate time, money and efforts toward the annual event in hopes of making it another successful year.

This year’s Snyder High School homecoming queen nominees invited the newspaper for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into homecoming court preparation.

“There’s a lot of money and a lot of planning that goes into it,” Kerrington Biggers said. “You have to know who’s doing your hair, who’s doing your makeup, what you’re going to wear, what car you’re going to ride in and so much more.” 

Nominees were notified two weeks before homecoming festivities to give them time to prepare. During that time, Biggers learned what it takes to find a ride.

“A lot of people think that the cars are donated, but you have to go out and get them yourselves,” she said. “If the insurance isn’t right, you can’t use the car and have to look for another one.”

Biggers participates in volleyball, track and powerlifting, and she feels that her leadership skills are what got her nominated. Being a nominee this year, she knows it’s important to not take the experience for granted.

“I know it won’t matter when I’m older, but it’s important to enjoy this time and take in the moment,” she said.

Another student-athlete nominee is Skylar Hand, who also works as a waitress at Bella Sera Italian Restaurant. Having a job helped to cover homecoming expenses.

“For the most part, I bought all of my stuff on my own, but my family has helped out some,” she said. “My Nana used to be a florist and wanted to make my mum for me.”

Hand likes getting involved at school and considers herself outgoing and determined. To get ready for homecoming, she’s been tanning and dress shopping.

“We got picked by our class, and it’s very cool to be one of the few,” Hand said. 

While every nominee’s experience is different, they are all given the opportunity to find sponsors for their homecoming expenses.

“You can get sponsors to provide your mum, car or signs for your car,” Kenzie Hunter said. “(Former nominee) Karson (Botts) talked to me about how to get sponsors and how to promote the ones who help.”

Although Hunter is not using a sponsor this year, she sees the benefit of having one — especially with all of the expenses.

“We had to buy our dresses, find a car to ride in, make posters for our car, decorate our chairs and get our hair, nails and makeup done,” Hunter said. “My dad also had to get a tux. It’s kind of stressful.”

Hunter is a cheerleader and describes herself as outgoing.

“Kenzie always saw something and went for it,” her mother Barbara Massingill said. “She’s always been excited about anything in the schools and always wants to participate. It’s an honor for her to be nominated out of so many students. It says a lot for who she is, her character and what she stands for.”

Gisselle Hernandez said she was learning about the process on the fly.

“I didn’t know we could get sponsors at first, but my aunt and my boss at Guadalajara (restaurant) are helping me,” she said. “I was excited to be nominated, but it has been kind of stressful. I knew the prices of the mum and dresses were high, so I didn’t want them to be too expensive.”

Along with getting ready for homecoming, Hernandez is involved in athletics, student council and her after-school job. Fortunately, she said the only problem she had was her dress needed to be hemmed.

“It’s been hard to get ready because I haven’t had a lot of time,” Hernandez said. “It’s also pressure because you’re up there that night representing the senior class, so you have to make the class look good.”

Being a nominee has been a learning experience for Hernandez, who moved here from Minnesota in fourth grade.

“I didn’t know much about homecoming until I got into high school,” she said. “At first, I thought it was something that was everywhere, but then I realized that mums were native to Texas. I thought they were pretty cool.”

Not only does being a nominee mean an investment of time and money, but it also puts the students in the spotlight.

“Being nominated was an honor,” Sara McClain said. “Something I’ve noticed is that a lot more people pay attention to you than before. That’s been the biggest difference.”

McClain said she ran into a minor issue while dress shopping.

“I went dress shopping twice,” she said. “I ended up buying the same dress as Kenzie (Hunter), so I had to find another dress. It feels like you have to have everything perfect. I tried on like 20 dresses before finding my dress.” 

Another time-consuming part of the experience was ordering a mum.

“Ordering a mum takes a good hour because you want to make sure you’re not getting the same stuff as someone else,” she said. “You want it to be unique.”

In addition to mum and dress shopping, McClain had nail, eyebrow and tanning appointments.  Through all of it, she said her parents have been supportive.

“The experience has definitely brought me closer to my mom,” McClain said. “My parents have been so involved throughout the process. I’m very grateful to be nominated, and I’m so appreciative for all my parents have done.”