Senior Tina Gutowski’s peers told her she was not "Homecoming Court material."

Determined to prove them wrong, she campaigned for Court. Little did she know her efforts would earn her a crown.

"I made a Facebook group campaigning for votes, and my friends spread the word that I wanted to be on Court," Gutowski said.

On Sept. 24, Gutowski was deemed royalty at Shores’ Homecoming game.

"I was extremely surprised when I won Queen; I thought one of the other girls had it in the bag," Gutowski said. "I’m glad I made it, though, because I wanted to prove there’s no specific ‘Homecoming Court material.’"

Some students may not consider her the best candidate for Homecoming Court, but her choir peers deem her a star.

"Tina is just an awesome person," senior Shelby Hurst said. "It’s really cool to see her up there, even if her goal wasn’t Queen."

Gutowski is involved in Shores’ Allegro and choir programs.

"I grew up singing, dancing, and performing," Gutowski said. "I absolutely love it and know there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. The people in choir and Allegros are like my second family. I love seeing their talent."

Shawn Lawton, choir director, considers Gutowski "choir material."

"Tina is a great representative for Queen because she’s positive, upbeat, looks on the bright side of life, and enthusiastically faces a number of challenges in life," Mr. Lawton said. "She represents a different part of the population at Shores than the typical Queen. She’s artsy and different, not your typical ‘most popular kid,’ and I think it’s really cool the senior class supported and voted for her."

Apart from choir, Gutowski is also involved in Student Senate.

"I joined Student Senate freshman year because my brother was involved," Gutowski said. "I stayed in it because you meet a lot of new people and get a lot done for the school."

Amnesty International, a human rights organization, is another group Gutowski has been an active member of since freshman year

Gutowski said, "It’s a great feeling knowing you’re helping people out around the world."