Selah Neal

The 39th Annual Fresno Christian Homecoming Court winners.

A warm October breeze weaves through the packed stands. The fluorescent stadium lights reflect brightly against shimmering formal gowns. A hush laced with anticipation falls upon the crowd. Spectators and participants alike hold their breath and cross their fingers as the loud speakers crackle overhead announcing the 2024 Fresno Christian Royal Homecoming Court. 

Impact of Homecoming

Typically homecoming is the grandest event on Fresno Christian’s campus as a combination of community supporters rally together for the big night. A large portion of that activism poured into homecoming is from those who previously attended Fresno Christian Schools – alumni. Whether it has been a single year or twenty, people find themselves drawn back to the community of Fresno Christian. 

Alumna Dawn Hinton, who is also the mother of senior princess Lyla Hinton, looks forward to the extraordinary camaraderie showcased through this annual event. 

“Homecoming at Fresno Christian brings so many opportunities for new friendships and bonding with the kids gathering so much,” Dawn Hinton said. “It has been a blessing to be a part of the body of Christ here in the community of FCS. The opportunities our children have gotten growing up under the care of loving Christian teachers and peers, and we have had as parents to be encouraged and prayed for by friends, who also desire to raise their children to follow Christ, has been invaluable.”

The Eagles vs. The Chieftains 

The center of homecoming has always been the football game. So far, the Eagles have faced a strenuous season after transitioning into a new division, and the unfortunate loss of key player Joshua Kubota, ‘25, who is recovering from a football injury. Despite the challenges, the Eagles left it all on the field and arose victorious over rivals the Sierra Chieftains, 49-8. 

Sophomore Alex Asatrian led the Eagles on defense with a total of 14 tackles, 10 of those being solo. Homeschooler, Luke Thomas drove offense, accumulating 124 receiving yards. 

For the first half of the game, middle school cheerleaders took the field and served as the designated crowd leaders. Seventh-grade cheerleader Hope Higton had a big night, cheering on both the football team and her sister Hailey Higton, a sophomore princess nominee. 

“The game was so much fun! I didn’t mind the packed crowd,” Hope Higton said. “I was just glad I got to be on the field. I was extra excited when Hailey won!” 

Fundraising for Honor Flight

Every other year, the Fresno Christian community takes on the responsibility of raising money for a charitable cause. This year all donated money will support the nonprofit organization Honor Flight. Honor Flight’s mission is to express gratitude to veterans with all money revenue going directly to honor war veterans by flying them out to Washington D.C to visit the memorials dedicated to them. 

The nonprofit organization has a hub in the Central Valley that takes off from the Fresno Air Terminal. For each flight, community members gather for their take-off, and three days later when they return, supporters line the airport walkways to give these selfless heroes the celebratory return they deserve, yet did not receive many years ago. 

History teacher and Feather Advisor Kori James had the opportunity to travel on the Central Valley’s 29th Honor Flight and capture the incredible experience through the lens of her camera as the designated photographer of the trip. James shared this experience with her journalism class and challenged them to use their skills and take a deep dive into the history of those heroes. During the last two weeks, The Feather team has highlighted ten veterans on the 29th Central Valley Honor Flight. These touching stories can be read on The Feather Feature Page. 

During the 39th Annual Homecoming, students sold concessions at their floats and collected donations; all profits will be going directly to CVHF. Lewis Edwards served his country for 23 years. He attended Friday night’s game and watched the community, students, and alumni, generously give their time and effort to raise funds for the heroes that came before them. 

“The fact that high schoolers even care enough is something that hits my heart,” Edwards said. “This night has been terrific.”

Voice of the Central Valley, Paul Loeffler, has been a consistent advocate of the Honor Flight organization. He volunteered his evening to be with the visiting veterans at their booth. 

“We are extremely honored to be here tonight. The support from this school has been tremendous,” Loeffler said. “I love seeing the younger generations interacting with our veterans and that young people get it, that freedom isn’t free.”

The Royal Court

Several weeks prior to the big game, the student body voted representatives from each grade to be a part of the 39th Annual Homecoming Court. There are three princess candidates from the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes; there are the five senior queen nominees and five senior king nominees. 

During the week leading up to Friday’s climax, the nominees willingly participate in good-natured public humiliation. The princesses partook in the annual princess pageants, and the seniors in an epic royal lip sync battle. What started as humorous entertainment for their peers turned into healthy competition and fun for all. 

The morning of the football game, final voting took place and students voted for a candidate from their class as well as a king and queen nominee. Before kickoff, the princess candidates were introduced to the crowd, and at half-time, the kings and queens’ introduction speeches rang over the loudspeaker as they rode in style on Ford Broncos. 

The 39th Annual Homecoming Podium

Senior King: Aden Millwee

Senior Queen: Milly Morgan 

Senior Prince: Caleb Iest 

Senior Princess: Lyla Hinton 

Junior Princess: Kyleigh Baca 

Sophomore Princess: Hailey Higton

Freshmen Princess: Elle Johnson

Gallery • 7 Photos

Kori James

The senior king and queen candidates have gone through an aray of events to prepare them for homecoming, and have looked great while doing it.

Senior King Aden Millwee found that his victory was not only shown through the crown on his head, but the strength of community and friendships that have been forged through his experience.

“It’s all been such an amazing experience, especially with all the great friends I stood next to during it all,” Millwee said. “I feel like so many people have rallied behind me and been there whether that’s during basketball season, at school and even for my mom. And because of that I’m really thankful for all the amazing students and staff we have.”  

Millwee was escorted by his mom, Laura Millwee, who is currently undergoing treatment for stage four breast cancer. He could not be more grateful for her and the continual support of the community that has rallied behind his family’s fight against cancer. 

Floats

Each class was tasked with creating a float representing the theme of “Family Game Night.” Time, sweat and effort made it possible for the production of the impressive floats, which were displayed throughout the night and anonymously judged for the competition. 

The freshmen brought to life the classic game Monopoly. Sophomores set the crime scene up for Clue. Juniors had a sugar-sweet float from Candyland. The seniors created the iconic Super Mario Bros course. At the end of the third quarter, the winners of the float competition were announced. 

Float Podium

1st: Sophomores – Clue 

2nd: Seniors – Super Mario Bros 

3rd: Freshmen – Monopoly 

4th: Juniors – Candyland 

It was a close race between the sophomores and seniors, but Olivia Guerrero, ‘27, was thrilled to have worked on their masterpiece and proud of the outcome of it all. 

“Building the float was so much fun, it was worth it to put in all the work,” Guerrero said. “It was so cool to see all the details come together and pull out a win. Go sophomores!” 

Homecoming Take-Away 

Homecoming stands apart from other events as community members, alumni and students alike, pack the stands to find fellowship and camaraderie. It is the people, not the proceedings that are focused on, which separates Fresno Christian’s homecoming from others and keeps individuals coming back.

Alumnus and FC father Todd Arndt concluded the night with an appreciation of the community. 

“Homecoming is a fun time to catch up with friends and family,” Arndt said. “It’s real neat that there can be a reunion with people from the past, while also seeing our kids and the young generation make such impactful memories.” 

Gallery • 10 Photos

Benson Elbert

39th Annual Fresno Christian Homecoming.

To read more about The 39th Annual Homecoming check out 

• 2024 Homecoming Day One
• 2024 Homecoming Day Two
• 2024 Homecoming Day Three
• 2024 Homecoming Day Four

To purchase any or all homecoming photos visit The Feather Smug Mug.

It is never too late to donate to The Central Valley Honor Flight, direct donation access can be found here.

For more from The Feather read Downtown Fresno hosts new event or Introducing the 2024-2025 Feather Team.