Friday night, Aledo High school unveiled its choice for homecoming queen at their football game. It turned out that the student body of Aledo High School had chosen 18 year-old Kristen Pass (pictured above). Miss Pass was escorted onto the field to receive her crown by her grandfather.
That all sounds pretty normal, but it isn't. That's because Kristen was born with Down Syndrome. When it was announced that she had won, the entire student section in the stands stood up and cheered.
Kristin was one of three finalists chosen for the honor. Her sister Kendall said the voting was not contrived. She said, "I think this happened because people at school thought she was the best choice, because she was a good friend and because they all liked her."
Another student said, "I believe that Kristin is an inspiration to everyone, She accepts you for what you are, no matter your race, no matter what clique you belong to."
Principal Sheryl Preston said, "She’s very well-known on campus and very well-liked. For the senior class to honor her this way was remarkable. It speaks very well for our student body."
She's right. It does speak well for the student body at Aledo High School. My congratulations to Kristin. It sounds like she deserved the honor. And my congratulations to the students at Aledo High for showing a lot of class and maturity.
It is really hard to be cynical after reading stories like this one.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for best headline.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I waited until this great post was "below the fold" before commenting on it.
ReplyDeleteThis story is very inspiring on at least three levels:
1) I was pleased to see a small Texas town cited for something so positive. Having grown up in a village of about 7,500 people in upstate New York, I have a heart for small town folks, and the stereotype of bigotry and lack of sophistication really riles me. We can all learn from the good people of Aledo.
2) It also did my heart good to see high school kids bucking another stereotype (made popular by movies like "Mean Girls") that teenagers are shallow and only concerned about themselves and their own cliques. The way they accepted someone "different" speaks volumes about their compassion and maturity.
3) Last, and certainly not least, I was struck by how caring Kristen's family must be, to raise a special needs child to have as much confidence and self-esteem as she obviously has. Think of all the lives this young woman has touched. What a shame it would have been if her parents had decided that, because she wasn't "perfect," her life was expendable and they chose to "terminate" her while still in her mother's womb.
Thanks, jobsanger, for posting this one. I'll be thinking about Kristen Pass for a long time to come.