Prom night is one of the most anticipated events for high school pupils. This is a unique evening when females may wear their prettiest gowns, apply some make-up, and perhaps add a pair of heels, while males get to dress up in their best formal attire and impress the girls at the celebration. Prom is an important moment in these teenagers’ lives.
During Prom, one of the things that students are anticipating is who will be the Prom King and Queen.
That’s something we were definitely looking forward to when we were in school. But do you think it’s the same for those who were born exceptional, as it is for those who weren’t? Do kids with down syndrome get as excited about Prom night as others do?
Zane Wales and Anna Anderson, both high schoolers with down syndrome, are like any other teenage couple in that they’re dating. In fact, theirs is a middle-school sweetheart story.
Zane and Anna, like the other students of Jefferson Forest High School, attend their prom night. However, they were unaware that this prom would be different than others in the past.
What they didn’t know was that the other students, their classmates, had a surprise planned for Zane and Anna. In fact, some teachers were aware of the plans.
Surprisingly, Zane and Anna’s classmates chose them to be their prom king and queen!
their goal was for Zane and Anna to feel like they belonged, that though they were different from their peers, then would receive the same experience. especially during this special night, They wanted Zane and Anna to feel accommodated.
Zane and Anna both have Down Syndrome, which occurs only rarely, happening to 1 in every 1,000 children. Because of this rarity, Zane and Anna know they are different from everybody else. And while they have come to accept this difference themselves, their friends at school refuse to let them feel excluded. Their classmates want Zane and Anna always to feel like they fit in and that they are welcome in their company no matter what.
The students have worked hard for weeks to put this idea into action. One of the teachers, Heather Hevener, said, “They see these kids every day. They walk the same halls with these same kids, and they just feel like they’re part of them, so they wanted to make sure that they also really felt part of them.”
Everyone was thrilled to give Zane and Anna an amazing surprise on the big day. The student who was standing at the top of the stairs then said…
“You’re our prom king, Zane!”
“And here comes the prom queen, as chosen by the whole school: Anna!”
Zane and Anna beamed with happiness that they never anticipated possible. Even after their prom coronation, they were still grinning from ear to ear. The moment meant a lot to them, as it showed they fit in perfectly well with their peers.
This was a prom night that will be remembered for years to come, and all because it was so positive.
