Two King’s Fork students were in a heated debate as they walked into the school gymnasium Friday afternoon.

“Trevor’s gonna win,” one girl said.

“Ooh, you don’t know,” another responded. “I think Derek has it.”

The girls’ conversation about who would be crowned the next homecoming king became harder to hear as the rest of the King’s Fork student body piled into the gym to kick off the 2009 Pep Rally.

It was an event that every other high school in the city was sharing. King’s Fork, Lakeland, Nansemond River and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy each are holding their homecoming weekends this weekend, and held pep rallies on Friday.

Early Friday morning, the Nansemond River Warriors kicked off the day with a packed gym jamming alongside the marching band’s tribute to Michael Jackson.

After faculty games, including seeing volunteer faculty members getting smashed in the face with a pie, the student body had a special surprise for principal Thomas McLemore. In recognition of National Bosses Day, students presented the principal with a plate of cookies, a giant poster and signs spread throughout the audience that spelled out “WE (LOVE) U MR. MAC.”

“I can’t believe this,” McLemore told the students. “I’m so proud to be your principal.”

In the mid-morning, NSA held a pep rally in both the lower and the upper schools. The school’s band and cheerleading squads performed and members of all the school’s fall sports teams were recognized. Additionally, the school crowned their homecoming king and prince.

King’s Fork and Lakeland both held their pep rallies Friday afternoon. Both schools had performances from their cheerleading squads, bands and introductions of their homecoming courts and fall sports teams.

All of the schools held home football games Friday night, which would be the first for King’s Fork High School. The school has had to forfeit its home field because of the stadium lights being torn down, and instead had home field status at a neutral location.