Everyone knows what Homecoming is, but what about Coming Home? Coming Home is an event where schools (either public or private) hold a ceremony that honors male students from each grade. This event in particular honors a senior boy, who is crowned king. On Jan. 9, senior Connor Bell was crowned Coming Home King at the Goodpasture vs. Friendship basketball game. 

“I’m really not sure when Goodpasture started participating in Coming Home,” Coming Home Coordinator Mrs. Bethany Billingsley said. “I know when I was in high school, in the 90s, we were doing Coming Home.”

Unlike Homecoming, Coming Home takes place in the winter season, at a basketball game instead of in the fall season, at a football game. 

For the 2026 Coming Home Court, each grade had two male students who were voted on by their peers with the exception of the senior class having three seniors. Every male student was escorted by a Student Council female student.

For the freshman class, Luke Deming, escorted by Elosie McClellan, and Jake Purkey, escorted by Madison Duke were chosen. For the sophomore class, Jackson Grizzard, escorted by Hattie Mae Head, and Levi Vierkant, escorted by Adelaide Moss, were selected. For the junior class, Hayden Abbott, escorted by Addie Garrett, and Lucas McAuley, escorted by Presley Cavendar, were elected.

For the senior class, Connor Bell, escorted by Sophia Moser, Nicholas Graham, escorted by Hannah Billingsley, and Jameson Webb, escorted by Eden Dominski, were voted on. 

The senior class specifically had to vote either Bell, Graham, or Webb to be the 2026 Coming Home King with Bell ultimately winning. 

“I felt extremely honored and a bit surprised,” Bell said. “I honestly did not think I was going to win because I expected either Jameson or Nicholas to take it.”