Back in 2012, Whitney Kropp was sitting in geometry class when she found out she had been nominated to the Ogemaw Heights homecoming court. And she never could have anticipated what would happen next.
Kropp, 16-years-old at the time, noticed that some of her classmates snickered when the announcement was revealed on school’s P.A. Still, she was elated that her classmates had voted her in as part of the court—until she found out it was all a cruel joke.
Kropp heard from other students that popular kids in their grade had voted her into the court as some kind of sick prank; the male student who had been elected with her had also withdrawn, and the young teen was left completely humiliated.
“I had actually reached a point where I had thought about suicide for how bad this case was in,” Kropp recalled to WNEM. “I thought I wasn’t worthy at Ogemaw Heights at all.”
It didn’t take long for word of the prank to spread about Kropp’s area, and the young girl quickly found herself flooded with local and online support.
“It really touched me,” local resident Shannon Champagne told Daily Mail UK. “I can’t believe that kids can be so mean and ruthless. In high school, everything means everything to you. You don’t realize that none of it will matter after you leave.”
Local businesses banded together, offering to help pay for Kropp’s homecoming dress, new shoes, homecoming dinner, and a brand new hairstyle. Online supporters came together through the “Support Whitney” Facebook group, in numbers in excess of 100,000. Together, they all worked to turn the prank around on her bullies.
Kropp was understandably hesitant to go to homecoming that night. Still, however, she showed up, proudly sporting a gorgeous orange dress, white sash, and a brand-new haircut.
The bleachers were packed with thousands of people who had all attended in support of Kropp; they wore orange shirts and made orange signs in honor of her favorite color.
What began as a cruel joke ultimately turned into a barrel of support for a bullied teen—and an entire anti-bullying campaign.
Shortly after the half-time celebration, Kropp had a few words for the crowd: “The kids that are bullying you, do not let them bring you down. Stand up for what you believe in and go with your heart and go with your gut.”
Together, we can make a difference.
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