Homecoming court sophomore Jack Nicholson

The crisp winter air loomed outside the windows of Rosy Mound Elementary School, but the third-graders inside were safe from the snow.

“Everyone was wearing like a jacket and snow pants,” sophomore Jack Nicholson said with a sheepish smile. “I was in the third grade so like four feet tall and I would come to school with my snow pants on and my jacket and everything to go to class. As soon as I got to my classroom, I started to take off my stuff and put it in my cubby. I took off my jacket and then took off my snow pants and I wasn’t wearing any pants.”

Nicholson’s story is punctured by laughter. The odds of a silly third-grader growing up to be voted onto the Homecoming Court seem slim, but for Nicholson, this opportunity happened twice in a row. Voted in as a freshman and now as a sophomore, Nicholson’s excited yet still humble.

“I love it, it’s awesome,” Nicholson said. “People are so nice and the supporters are really nice.”

He’s quiet at first, but once you get to know him, he’s a kind and outgoing person with funny stories to tell. With a water bottle in his hand, he glances into the distance to laugh and think about why the kid who forgot to wear pants to school was on the Homecoming Court for the second time.

“My girlfriend and I have been dating for just over two years now and everyone thinks it’s just super cute and adorable, so they were just like, ‘Let’s just put them together for Homecoming Court,'” Nicholson said. “It’s really nice for people to do that. It’s really sweet.”

But inside, he’s still the same kid that forgot to wear pants to school.

“I just ended up in my underwear at school so I just kept my snow pants on during class. It was kinda weird, everyone was like ‘Jack, why are still wearing your snow pants?’ I was like ‘It’s cold.'”