She graces the stadium in a dress as vibrant green as the grass she walks on. Alongside 11 other maids waiting for this moment, it is her who is given the coveted crown.

Senior Lauren Allred was crowned the 2021 homecoming queen tonight at the football game against the Mt. Pleasant Lions.

“Being homecoming queen means a lot because I wasn’t really expecting it, but it shows that a lot more people than I thought look up to me and think about me as a leader,” Allred said. “It’s definitely been stressful, but once you get past all the stress, it’s a lot of fun.”

Allred’s crowing is a moment of representation for the volleyball team. Shortly before the game, she played in a tournament and rushed to prepare for the football game.

“I had 10 minutes to get ready in the locker room, drive over from the high school to Grim and do my makeup in the car,” Allred said. “It was a little bit rushed and stressed.”

Aside from Allred, all the girls on the homecoming court were especially grateful for the opportunity to represent the school given the pandemic. Last year, there was a homecoming court and queen but no homecoming dance.

“I’ve just learned to be grateful for everything that we are handed this year,” maid Olivia George said. “Since we didn’t get to have homecoming last year, I’m just wanting to be grateful for everything that we do have and to soak up every moment and not to take anything for granted.”

The title of maid of honor was tied between seniors Kalea Edmonds and Jalyn Golette.

“It will be a memory that I will always be able to look back on, and it will bring joy to my heart,” Edmonds said. “I got to be maid of honor with my very best friend. [I liked] having my family help me and stood right there by my side every step of the way.”

The homecoming court saw a variety of different groups of girls, with maids representing organizations from HighSteppers to cheer to athletics.

“It’s kind of a random group that wouldn’t just naturally hang out together outside of school, but we’re all super sweet to each other,” maid Helen Clark Hays said. “The group texts are always so uplifting, when we’re sending pictures of our dresses. Everybody’s so excited for each other.”

Allred’s homecoming week served as an opportunity for her to bond with the rest of her volleyball team.

“Everything’s a team effort,” Allred said. “After the game, I had some of my teammates helping [with] my hair, some of them trying to get my clothes ready and others trying to help with makeup. It helps that I can rely on them on and off the court.”

Although Allred admits she isn’t the type of girl who dreamed of being queen since childhood, she appreciates the honor and tradition that comes with her title. 

“It gives everybody something to look forward to because if we stopped doing this, then little girls that want to be queen won’t be able to,” Allred said. “It’s something we need to carry on to continue the dream.”

*Staff Writer Olivia Huckabee contributed to this story