High School Teens With Down Syndrome Crowned Homecoming King & Queen by Classmates

(Illustration - Shutterstock)

Two Colorado high school seniors with Down syndrome wore infectious smiles after being chosen to wear the crowns of homecoming king and queen by their classmates.

Arapahoe High School seniors Noah Stokes and Khrystya Gordon were honored in the school’s homecoming parade, and again at their official homecoming dance on Nov. 2, 2019.

In footage shared by Fox31 Denver, Noah and Khrystya gathered at a local Olive Garden with a group of friends and classmates for dinner before the big event. “Congratulations dude, you rock,” said one friend, high-fiving Noah as she passed him in the restaurant foyer.

Noah’s mother, Terri Stokes, speaking to news outlet KDVR, said the senior student body’s choice for their homecoming king and queen was representative of the character of Arapahoe High students at large.

“It’s just a great community. They’re warm, loving, inclusive,” Stokes said. “Ever since Noah’s been in school, every year has gotten better, and this is just the cherry on top.”

Noah, an enthusiastic student, was delighted to have been chosen as homecoming king. “I was happy, I love it,” he said.

While Noah’s mother was well aware of her son’s popularity among senior students, his recent accolade still came as a welcome surprise. “I had no idea that it was going to come to this,” she admitted.

Footage from the big night depicts Noah and Khrystya’s names being called and the enthusiastic applause from the crowd that followed. Khrystya’s mother, Sheyla, later posted a picture of her daughter in her cheerleading uniform and homecoming crown on Facebook, captioned: “Queen, rockstar!”

The crowning of Noah and Khrystya is cause for celebration for a school that has seen a succession of tragedies in recent years. A heartbreaking nine Arapahoe High School students have taken their own lives since 2013; the most recent was the suicide of a junior student in October 2019.

In response, school principal Natalie Pramenko sent a memo to students and their families, which read, “Students, please remind one another how much you love and care about each other,” as quoted by the Daily Mail.

“Reach out to your friends and do not hesitate to let an adult (parent, teacher, coach, counselor, etc.) know if you or your friends are struggling,” Pramenko’s letter added.

It’s not the first time a high school homecoming has celebrated inclusivity. Just one month prior to Noah and Khrystya’s crowning, Texas senior Trinity Arrington gave up her crown to her dear friend Emily Petty, who has Down syndrome, in a moving gesture caught on camera.

“I didn’t think I was going to win,” Trinity, a senior at S&S Consolidated High School in Sadler, later admitted to KXII. “I told everyone that asked me if I wanted to win that I wanted Emily to win, so I told them to vote for her,” she explained.

Trinity met Emily through spending time in the special-education classroom during her lunch breaks. “I decided to give my crown to my sweet friend Emily because she’s always wanted to be a princess,” Trinity told the news outlet, “so I decided she deserved it.”