Sisters want students to think 'outside the box'

Inspired by a commercial, two Green River High School students decided to show this community what true beauty is.

The Foundation for a Better Life's television commercial shows a high school girl announcing the prom queen.

Commercial viewers expect to see the stereotypical high school girl being crowned, but a girl with Down Syndrome is the one who receives the crown.

This scenario is something Jackie and Vickie Tramp would like to see come true for Darcie Coats, a GRHS junior who has Down Syndrome.

"Having a brother that has Down Syndrome made us feel like we would want the same thing for him when he is in high school," Vickie said.

Jackie and Vickie have been friends with Coats for a little more than a year and during this time have gotten to know her well. Jackie first met Coats when she was an aide in Coats' class.

Soon, Jackie and Vickie started having lunch with Coats' class whenever they had the chance.

Jackie and Vickie said Coats loves princesses and has always wanted to be one. Coats knew the girls were encouraging people to vote for her for prom queen, but she didn't know what a prom queen was or what exactly a prom queen does.

Vickie said they didn't want to get Coats' hopes up only to have themcrushed if she didn't make it to the top five.

The girls called Coats' mom and asked her if they could put her daughter's name in for prom queen and take photos of her wearing a tiara for the flyers they wanted to put up around school. After receiving her permission, the girls made and hung up the flyers.

About 3 hours later, GRHS students and teachers were commenting about the flyers.

"It spread around the school pretty quickly," Vickie said.

Jackie said the teachers told her most were in favor of Coats becoming prom queen. However, there were some who were not so supportive and could not understand why Jackie and Vickie wanted this for Coats.

"We're not doing this for people to feel forced to vote for her," Jackie said. "We doing this because it will make a big impact on her life and others and how they view things."

Although Coats acts shy, she really loves being the center of attention.

"She would really enjoy being in front of everyone," Jackie said.

Vickie said this is also a way for people to start thinking outside of the box and realize that being prom king and queen does not have to be about popularity or money.

"It can be anyone," Vickie said.

Even if Coats is not crowned prom queen, the girls wanted her to make the top five.

Monday afternoon Jackie and Vickie found out all their work had paid off, and Coats made the top five. They were ecstatic. Even if she isn't crowned prom queen, this is something special.

"She will be able to have that memory," Jackie said.

The students will have the ultimate say in who is crowned prom queen so for now Jackie, Vickie and Coats will have to wait.

Prom king and queen will be crowned at prom May 8.

Best Buddies

It's amazing how one commercial could make such an impact. However, Jackie and Vickie are not stopping at prom queen. They are thinking about forming a club called "Best Buddies."

Under this club, GRHS students will be partnered with GRHS special-needs students. They will go to movies, parks and bowling together. The program is a lot like the Big Brother, Big Sister program.

"We would like to see the kids with disabilities have the same opportunities that we have," Vickie said.

The girls are hoping that the program and the prom queen and king nomination processes continue after they graduate. Who knows. Maybe their brother, Brandon, who is in sixth-grade now, will be prom king when he is a junior.

Submitted by Anonymous


True Beauty
Pass It On®
Pass It On®

  email

Your Comments

Here are some other inspiring stories you might like.
BRAVERY
HARRIET TUBMAN Harriet Tubman freed 300 slaves she was so brave that is why she is my hero
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
STRENGTH
ANDRE D On May 2, 2014 Andre' MY HUSBAND at the age of 42 suffered a massive heart attack, he was without oxygen to his brain for several minutes. It caused an Anoxic Brain Injury and other problems such as cortical blindness, seizures and he is bedridden for the rest of his life and resides in a nursing home. The...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
MAKING A DIFFERENCE
LORI R. In 2012 Lori, along with her then high school age daughter Shira, began to keep their vehicle filled with pet supplies to hand out to the pets living on the streets of Riverside, CA with their homeless companions. They would give out pet food, leashes, collars and water so the pets would be fed well and kept...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
MENTORING
MISTY WELLS 5 Years ago Misty saw a need in children in Foster Care and she took action. For the past 5 years going strong Misty started a non profit called " A Reel Future" where she takes children in Group Foster Care fishing. She has single handed taken over 3,000 foster children fishing. She is showing them...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
COMPASSION
CHARLIE SCHULZ My son, Charlie, was an inspiration to many during his 19 years on this earth. When Charlie was in 5th grade, despite what we learned later was severe social anxiety, their strong sense of what was right led them to circulate petitions among their 5th grade schoolmates and write and present a statement (through...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
CARING
TISH R My former wife is an amazing individual. She works as a behavior analyst, and has been helping injured others achieve a much greater quality of life. In one of my proudest specific memories, she facilitated a transition for a man who was in an ALF, brain-injured, from wearing diapers in a wheelchair to...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
KINDNESS
WENDY T Wendy was my wife of 4 years. We dated in high school, over 30 years ago. Eight years ago, we reconnected, and fell in love all over again. I quickly became attuned to why she was so special: Her kindness. I had never met anyone before, who showed as much kindness to everybody, as Wendy had. It wasn't one...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
BEING THERE
BK SAINI SAINI My husband helped me since he knew me since 1975. He is there for me every single day. He is so kind all the time. He took care of me during any need except not when he is at the job. He comes at home if any emergency arrives. For God’s grace he was never called till today. I still remember when our second baby...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
WISDOM
JAHSEH O There are many heros I look up to, but Jahseh Onfroy helped me through the darkest times in my life. His music did not only help me but it helped countless people. When he spoke to us, it was always about growing and becoming better than what we are. I have learned many valuable lessons from him, and I constantly...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
HELPING OTHERS
SAWYER A. After learning about children and families in the poverty-stricken villages of Zambia; a country in south-central Africa, Sawyer Anderson wanted to help bring clean, safe water to the villagers. At age 9, Sawyer wrote and illustrated the book, Water Works, which is published in America, Vietnam (in Vietnamese)...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
KINDNESS
MOTHER TERESA Mother Teresa was born in Albania and left her home country very early in life. She lived in Ireland to learn English, and ultimately went to India where she resided until her death. She was a beacon of hope for many. She did not look to caste, class, religion, skin color, or any other identity to separate...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
FAMILY
PAT C Next to his faith in God, the most important thing in my Dad’s life was his family; my Mom who was the love of his life, his kids, grandkids, great grandkids, brothers, and sisters. One of the ways he made life better for all of us and left his fingerprint on our lives was through the use of what I like to call...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
CARING
BETTY DRUCK I want to tell you about my grandmother,she is in her late 50's,she has spent everyday of her life caring for everyone she meets.She has had multiple surgeries and other problems of her own and yet she has given everything for her family,she has spent every christmas with my dad,even when she was in other...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
LOVE
AMARA OKEKE My hero is my late mother Since 2000, she fells sick. She was diabetic, all my life I have taken care of her , I abandoned my school, my Visa and career to taken care of her , after 19 years of my sufferings she died last two Saturdays..I was actually 6 years when I started cooking, doing house chores for my...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
PEACE
DANA W Grieving (Fly High Dana Wilson Jr.) On March 7, 2022 my only little brother passed away at home in his bed. This has been one of the hardest things to deal with. I dont think a day goes by that i dont find myself breaking down crying. I think my eyes are puffy did alot of crying yesterday..omg this is really...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
COMPASSION
ALWAYS STRIVE TO SHOW AND GIVE COMPASSION. ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN SHOWN NONE. My entire life, I had to work, and work hard to avoid being the brunt of rude and Difficult bullying. Even from home, even from my Own Mother. Even at 63, I'm still spurned by my blood Family. It's Sad to Hurt a Child so badly that they have a hard time forgetting the Same Family, and School bullying. Especially...
SUBMITTED BY ANONYMOUS
Read Story
Where did your values come from?

We've all had people in our lives who have made a positive impact on us. A parent or grandparent, a sibling who was there for us, or maybe even just a guy who shines shoes for a living? Whoever they are, tell us their story so they can inspire us even more.

Tell Us Your Story All Everyday Hero Stories