ROCKINGHAM – Two of Richmond Senior High School’s senior student-athletes roped in an off-the-field honor Friday afternoon during Homecoming Week 2018.
Seniors Evan Hudson and Savannah Lampley, both multisport athletes, were named “Mr. and Miss School Spirit” ahead of the annual RSHS homecoming parade in downtown Rockingham. After a week of campaigning across campus and on social media, the tandem collected enough votes to take the coveted crown and ride at the front of the parade in a BMW convertible.
Both student-athletes are active members of the RSHS community, as Hudson is a soccer and baseball player, and Lampley is a volleyball and softball player. They also were on Richmond’s inaugural bowling team last winter.
Off their respective playing surfaces, Hudson and Lampley are members of the National Beta Club and National Honor Society, and Lampley served as a junior marshal during the class of 2018’s graduation in June. She was also on this year’s homecoming court.
“We were announced as the winners at the pep rally,” Lampley recalled of Friday’s shindig in Richmond’s gymnasium. “They called all the nominees to gym floor, and announced Evan as Mr. School Spirit first, and I figured he would get it.
“I was a little worried I was going to lose to Janai Davis because she passed out candy and visited classrooms all week,” she admitted. “But it was pretty exciting when I won, and I felt proud of myself — it’s good to be going out on a high note.”
Spirit Week, a longstanding tradition at Richmond, is comprised of different themed days that allow for all students to dress up and participate. This year, students participated in Red, White and Blue Day (Monday), Dress for Success Day (Tuesday), Decades Day (Wednesday) and Green and Gold Day (Friday). Thursday’s “Class Color Day” was pushed to Monday due to students being out of school for Hurricane Michael.
As explained by Hudson and Lampley, each club within the school had an opportunity to nominate a male and female candidate for the spirit award.
“I originally got volunteered to do it for the National Beta Club,” Hudson explained. “But then someone else did it, and all of the sudden, I got a Snapchat from Savannah that said we were running together for National Honor Society.
“Some other people had nominated us, and I thought ‘why not, I might as well just do it’,” he added. “It was a fun week, and we got to dress out and do what we wanted to do. Most people thought it was funny.”
In order to collect votes from their peers, teachers, administrators and the public, all Spirit Week candidates campaigned using social media and word-of-mouth techniques. The leading factor that helped decide the winners, aside from the votes, was the creativity of the outfits worn by the court. And Hudson and Lampley went all out.
Mr. and Miss School Spirit 2018, Evan Hudson and Savannah Lampley, decked out on “Dress for Success Day” as farmers.
For Red, White and Blue Day, Hudson and Lampley both wore American flag themed pants, with Lampley rocking a flag vest and an actual flag itself. Dress for Success Day saw the duo represent Richmond County’s agricultural community, as both sported a pair of overalls, flannel shirts, cowboy hats and the best accessory — ears of corn stuffed in their overall pockets.
Hudson and Lampley took a trip back to the 1980s on Wednesday, showing off brightly colored workout clothes, complete with headbands and aerobics weights. And on Friday, it was a plethora of Richmond green and gold that saw them bring home the crown.
“It’s a good title to have and I’m proud of the high school that I come from,” Hudson noted of winning. “And I want to enjoy my time while I’m here. All of the days were fun and Savannah and I came up with the best costume ideas.”
“We tried to go all out and have the best outfits,” Lampley, the reigning 4A state softball player of the year, echoed. “I really think that we had the most creative costumes as partners — we planned everything together.”
When it was all said and done, both seniors expressed their satisfaction with the way the week turned out in their favor. And the best part for both was Dress for Success Day.
“What really helped us winning was dressing up as farmers on career day,” Lampley said. “That was really my favorite day because I thought it was funny and so did other people. A lot of the other groups dressed up as doctors, so we definitely stood out.”
“Everybody loved the farmer thing — we posted a picture on social media and people would take pictures of us and post it on theirs,” Hudson added. “My favorite moment was the morning I got to school for farmer’s day and Savannah showed up with actual corn that we put in the pocket of our overalls.”
Riding up front in the homecoming parade was also a neat experience, as both noted it was “a lot of fun” getting to see all of the kids and people they knew from school and around the community.
“Spirit Week is all about the students,” RSHS head principal Jim Butler said. “Nobody exemplifies this more than Evan and Savannah. They are so active in Raider life, from on-the-field athletics to being a part of the Bleacher Creatures in the stands. Both are also academic leaders, and the student body made some great choices in choosing Evan and Savannah.”
Lampley and the Lady Raider volleyball team will begin the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament Wednesday as the No. 3 seed on the road at No. 2 Pinecrest High School. For Hudson and the Raider soccer team, he will be recognized Monday on senior night ahead of the team’s match against Seventy-First High School.
