Gigi Hutchison-Martinez stood on the Green Valley High School football field during halftime of the September 25 homecoming game against Clark High School, still in her cheer uniform from performing with the varsity squad, before changing into a floral dress to accept her crown. She became the first Green Valley student with Down syndrome to win homecoming queen, a milestone that capped four years of cheerleading, student council work and reporting for the school's broadcast network.
Hutchison-Martinez was elected alongside her cheer teammate and captain, Kaia Earl, after Green Valley's homecoming vote produced two queens rather than one. According to KTNV Las Vegas, Earl said Hutchison-Martinez's hardworking mindset and attitude inspired her and the rest of the team. The school's voting process allows for that kind of outcome by design: students first elect a 10-person homecoming court, then choose the top two overall vote-getters regardless of gender, a structure that resulted in dual queens for the 2026 ceremony, per the Las Vegas Sun.
Hutchison-Martinez told KTNV she was happy her friends voted for her, and that her favorite part of the night was the fight song. She represents the Down syndrome community, and her involvement stretches well beyond the football field — she participates in student council, cheer, a dance class and GVTV News, the station reported.
How a Cheer Tryout Became Four Years on the Squad
Hutchison-Martinez began cheering as a freshman after her mother, Lori Hutchison, asked Green Valley's coach to let her try out, even if only as a team manager. Green Valley cheer coach Bailey Murry chose to give her a shot on the squad instead, and Murry told KTNV that Hutchison-Martinez brings smiles to every practice, pep rally and performance.
Hutchison-Martinez also keeps an Instagram account, @dscantgetmedown, where her videos have uplifted millions of people, according to the station's report. Ahead of the homecoming election, she posted photos in her court sash on Instagram
on September 19, urging classmates to vote for her while sharing hashtags tied to Down syndrome awareness and inclusive cheerleading. The post drew several supportive comments.
A Campus of More Than 2,500 in Nevada's Largest District
Green Valley High School opened in 1991 and now enrolls more than 2,500 students in the Clark County School District, the fifth-largest public school district in the nation, the Las Vegas Sun notes. CCSD's open enrollment system lets students outside their attendance zone apply for available seats for the upcoming academic year, according to the district.
Hutchison-Martinez's win lands during a period of broader attention on services for people with Down syndrome in Southern Nevada. The Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada, founded in 1987, offers programs at no cost and focuses on education, jobs and living-on-your-own goals, according to the organization's own account of its history published by Nevada Business. The nonprofit has organized its annual Buddy Walk for October 18 at Town Square Las Vegas to promote community inclusion and raise funds for its regional programs.
Down syndrome, caused by a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21, is the most common chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States, occurring in roughly 1 in every 700 live births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Special Education Funding Remains an Open Question in CCSD
The homecoming celebration also arrives alongside ongoing budget pressure tied to special education services across the district. In August, the Clark County School District Board of Trustees voted to petition Nevada lawmakers to fully fund individual education plans after the district transferred about $176 million from its general fund this year to meet legally mandated accommodations, the Las Vegas Sun reported. Federal law requires these individual education plans but does not fully fund them.
Green Valley has also drawn separate local coverage this month after Clark County School District Police arrested a juvenile student shortly after a firearm was recovered on campus Wednesday, September 30, a case Hoodline previously reported prompted Henderson parents to call for expanded campus screening measures. That incident occurred days after the homecoming game and has circulated alongside the queen coronation in local news discussion of the campus this fall.
Green Valley's football team was set to open postseason play Friday at home, per KTNV, closing out a week that saw the Henderson campus make headlines for very different reasons.
