Special Needs Student's Fairy Tale Homecoming

Flowwood, Ms - A Mississippi High School made history this Homecoming.

The students rallied behind one of their special needs students, Katelyn Simpson, to get her name on the homecoming court. Katelyn was born with Down Syndrome.

She's a huge fan of Cinderella, and always hoped to live the fairytale. The closest thing to it was senior year Homecoming.

Katelyn's mother, Anissa Simpson, asked a senior cheerleader to help her get Katelyn's name on the homecoming court. But, even she didn't expect it would turn into a real fantasy.

"I think she was 18 months when she finally walked," said Anissa Simpson, Katelyn's mother.

Anissa Simpson says her daughter struggled with medical complications early. Katelyn spent her first two months in life fighting intestinal blockage, and doctors had to perform a series of surgeries.

Now, at 19, Katelyn functions at the second grade level.

"Our special needs students aren't really noticed a lot in this school," said Alyce Caballero, Senior student.

But this year's homecoming would prove different.

"Once I got the petition and everything together, everybody was like this would be a really cool thing," said Caballero.

This student body petitioned to add Katelyn's name on the homecoming court. They asked their principal to exempt her from the required G.P.A. criteria, then gathered 50 signatures needed to secure her slot.

"The next day she had over a hundred signatures of students and over half the faculty in support of saying let Katelyn be on the homecoming court," said Northeast Rankin Principal Richard Morrison.

Katelyn's loving spirit, combined with her infectious laugh, charmed this student body into their most remarkable moment.

"Watching her daddy escort her across the field, and the two of them standing their together," said Anissa Simpson.

"I couldn't see through watery eyes, didn't want to say anything cause' my voice was quivering," said Mitchell Simpson, Katelyn's Father.

"When they called her name, Katelyn Simpson, I was so overwhelmed and so in shock, that I couldn't move," said her mother.

Some of the girls on the homecoming court ended up voting Katelyn for queen. She won by a landslide, but the student-led effort moved far beyond the schools walls.

"I've had emails from special needs families that tell us what an impact it was that a special needs child could win actually homecoming queen," said Morrison.

So while Katelyn may not process life the same as her peers, Homecoming night, students showed her, she was no different.

A fairytale dream fit for a queen.