The tradition of Queen of Hearts continues February  6-7 with with the presentation of the court, skits, entertainment and the crowning of  senior Abbey Bugger..

“I can’t believe that I won. There are so many amazing, deserving people on the court and any of them could have been crowned queen,” said Bugger.

Bugger’s dedication to fighting child’s cancer and other excellent qualities inspired many to vote for her. Last year, she participated in St. Baldrick’s, a charity that asks people to donate their hair to make wigs for children with cancer. Bugger was brave enough to participate in this good cause and did not think twice about it.

“Child cancer is a big problem in today’s world and I felt that I could help make a difference by participating in St.

Baldrick’s,” said Bugger.

Bugger is looking forward to this year’s Queen of Hearts Assembly.

“There is a lot of great talent and I can’t wait to be a part of such an amazing tradition that has gone on since World War Two,” said Bugger.

To many, Abbey Bugger is the embodiment of what a Queen of Hearts should be. Bugger is courageous, nice, fun loving, and dedicated. It will be a special moment when she is brought forth at the assembly.

Bugger will be crowned at the student assembly on Friday, February 6, and again at the community assembly at noon on Saturday 7. The dance is that evening, 9 p.m to midnight.

Queen of Hearts is a tradition that dates back to the early days of Broughton.  In the 1930s, prior to the Queen of Hearts, the Broughton PTA sponsored a November Carnival to raise money. A Queen of the Carnival was selected and crowned during an assembly in the Auditorium. The biggest event of the year was a formal Junior-Senior Dance held in the spring.

During the war years of the early 1940s, , the Broughton PTA still sponsored a November carnival and a queen was selected, and was now referred to  as the Queen of Hearts. Selection of the queen was determined by a journalism class project to raise money for the war effort. Students paid 10 cents a vote and the senior girl with the most votes was crowned Queen of Hearts during an assembly held in the Auditorium before the carnival. In addition to the Queen, a court, represented only by seniors was also selected.

In the 1950s, the selection of a Queen of Hearts was moved to February and scheduled with a Valentine’s Dance. The Queen was elected by the senior class and the court was elected by the entire school. The court consisted of one 8th grader, two 9th graders, two 10th graders, two 11th graders, and three 12th graders. Eventually the court was elected by classes. The crowning of the queen and presentation of the Court was still held during an assembly in the Auditorium.

After  Holliday Gym opened,  the presentation and Court assembly  moved from the auditorium to the gym and was held during the school day on Friday.

The Queen and her Court were entertained by numerous student performers during this assembly. A second presentation was held just before the dance on Saturday night.

Traditionally, the Queen wore her white debutante gown with a train that was held off of the floor by two mascots. A third mascot carried a pillow holding her crown. The mascots were young children selected by a  vote of the senior class. A Maid of Honor was elected and asked to wear a red velvet gown.

The Queen was expected to entertain the female members of the Court at a luncheon held at her
home on Saturday before the dance. The Queen was also expected to give  a small
gift to each member of the Court. Members of the Court wore long white gloves
and carried fresh flowers.

There have been many Queen of Hearts throughout the years of Broughton. One was assistant
principal, Katherine White in 1998.