Sophomore Whitney Kropp was excited to be voted as class rep to the homecoming court at her high school, but later learned that the whole thing was a prank. Bullies at her school thought that it would be funny if the most unpopular student actually won the popularity contest.
But the twisted tale has a happy ending when the whole town learned about the affair and decided to come out full force behind the teen:
Word of the prank quickly spread through this small town, whose water tower is a yellow smiley face. Kropp's sister told her friends, who told their parents, who told their friends. The Facebook support page was created, quickly drawing hundreds of messages of encouragement. The page has more likes (more than 3,500) than the town has people (2,100).
A bank account was opened for Kropp's homecoming expenses but wasn't needed. So many businesses donated services that everything was covered.
Shannon Champagne and another beauty salon worker offered their services and asked other businesses to do the same. "It really touched me. I can't believe that kids can be so mean and ruthless," said Champagne, 28, a nail tech at Whit's End Hair Studio. "In high school, everything means everything to you. You don't realize that none of it will matter after you leave."
Francis Donnelly of The Detroit News has the story: Link (Photo: Dale G. Young/The Detroit News)