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Dale G. Young / The Detroit News
Whitney Kropp was named to the homecoming court as a joke by her classmates, but the tiny farm town of West Branch, Mich., has rallied around her.
A tiny farming town in Michigan is rallying around a 16-year-old girl who was voted to be on a high school homecoming court as part of a prank. Local businesses are picking up the tab for her special night, while a neighbor started a Facebook support page.
"It’s been overwhelming," Bernice Kropp told NBC News on Monday. Her daughter, Whitney Kropp, is at the center of the controversy at West Branch’s Ogemaw Heights High School, north of Saginaw.
Kropp said Whitney was humiliated when she learned Sept. 13 that her selection to the homecoming court had been part of a joke. She said students pointed at her in the hallways and laughed, and the boy who was picked with her withdrew.
"She was getting ridiculed in school and on Facebook," Kropp said.
"But then," Kropp added, "other kids started coming up to her and saying, 'Whitney, don’t let them stop you from going to homecoming. You need to go ahead, you need to do it'."
Kropp said her daughter, a sophomore, had been picked on before at school, but not to the extent of the peer vote that selects popular students to the court, which traditionally names a queen, king and princes and princesses from each class. The high school has about 800 students.
"I thought I wasn't worthy. I was this big old joke," Whitney told The Detroit News.
Dan Cwayna, the superintendent of the West Branch-Rose City School District, told NBC News he is aware of the situation. “I do not have much to add at this time,” he said, adding “I am hesitant to say anything out of privacy and concerns for the student involved.”
Kropp described her daughter as quiet, polite and kind, rarely finding fault with peers and people. Kropp said Whitney has a date for the dance this Saturday, "and it’s her boyfriend who has been very quiet and supportive through all of this."
"You want to protect your kid, and you feel angry and mad at what has happened, but at the same time the outpouring to help her has been beyond expected," Kropp said.
Word spread quickly through the community of about 2,100 residents in West Branch. Resident Jamie Kline started a Facebook support page, gaining more than 4,000 likes in Michigan and nationwide. Personal stories of bullying and messages of encouragement filled the page, among them:
"You go, girl! From here in California, it looks like you won the vote legitimately but some of your "friends" got jealous and nasty about it. Their "joke" never really happened! Hold your head high and have a good time," Raymond Puffer.
"Whitney YOU are a beautiful gal inside and out and dont ever let anyone tell you any different,” Karen Morrison Gross.
"I am so proud of this young lady ((((You GO, Girl))))), her family and the awesome community we share! It's high time we ALL take a stand against bullies. They come in all sizes, ages and social arenas. Be Kind ALWAYS,” Ginger Warren.
Jen Case, who is with Whit’s End Salon in West Branch, said the salon owner donated services to cut, color and style Kropp’s hair. "Bullying is a big thing and we wanted to turn this into a positive moment," Case said.
Other local businesses are paying for Whitney’s dinner, gown, shoes and a tiara for the dance.
"We live in this community and we’re about the community and giving back," Case told NBC News. "We wanted to help this young lady have a special night."
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All I have to say for this one? Karma's a bitch!! LOL. The losers who pulled this prank will end up fat, ugly and unemployed, living in some shack with kids they can't feed and not sure who the fathers are of any of them. She's a pretty girl and will end up being a great success.
Bravo, Whitney!!! Don't let the jerks interfere with your life.
Now I would like to see the people who started this be forced to come forward, with their parents(!), and apologize to Whitney, her parents, and the community. Then let them do some community service, with their parents. It's often the most privileged who like to humiliate others, just like Romney did when he was younger and force cut another boy's hair. The parents didn't do the work to instill respect for everyone, so they should now pay the price along with their spoiled little brats.
Teenagers can be so cruel. What are they on nowadays. But people who have common sense are coming to the rescue, and its mud in their face for being cruel.
I dont get it...As a kid in High School I'd done her in a heartbeat....
Maybe not the "magazine" model, but real cute
An early lesson that people are pretty much, crap. They're just mean, plain and simple. My old boss, mean and now he has no friends. That is their future as well. Joke is on them.
I hope those kids parents punish them. But then again it makes you wonder what kinds of values were instilled from their parents.
They should dump the rest of the court and make her homecoming queen and her boyfriend king.
"quiet, polite and kind, rarely finding fault with peers and people"
People that have these qualities are targets for those that don't. You can't buy them, they have to be earned, and heartfelt. .
Exactly right, Boromir. The difference between Whitney and these other creeps is that she has character and they only have their popularity and their crowd...for now.
The great thing about being a nice, decent person is that it outlasts high school. I was bullied from kindergarten through graduation by the "cool" kids (mostly one guy, but his friends joined in). Unfortunately, he's not an unemployed, single loser, but he is still a jerk. I don't wish what he did to me on his daughters, but it would be the ultimate karma - for him to see his girls go through what he put me through. I guess the universe will figure it out one way or another.
But Whitney, just know: High school is but a blip in your life. I know it feels like forever now, but sooner than you know, you'll be past it and on to a great life. For now, rely on your true friends and what sounds like an awesome community for support; go to your homecoming and hold your head high. Don't let these cruel, small people take that memory away from you. You've got your community and, now, the whole nation behind you. We're with you!
You hear it all the time ......."kids can be mean" Nowadays that is an understatement. Is this the social aspect that my daughter is missing out on being home schooled? No thanks ....... More power to you young lady ...walk in..... stand up ....and be proud! You've got way more guts than the little jerks that pulled the prank.
Sorry, PValdes, I agree with you. This was meant as a reply to Dan, #32, above:
As a kid in High School you'd have done your dog or the neighbor's cat if you could have caught them.
Clearly, nothing's changed since then.
No worries ....I think I would have had a similar post for Dan ...
She was only selected to the court since she is a sophmore. The king and queen are usually reserved for seniors.
shes pretty cute, so im guessing the other chicks are just jealous and have nothing better to do (it is a small town)....but good for her, holding her head high and ignoring the morons...i actually ran into one of the kids that bullied me in jr high a few years back, and he came right up to me and apologized and weve been cool ever since...unlike the story another person left in the comments, i did fight back (lol though because i was only 5-5 130) and it ceased...but i would hope we had grown as a society from 20 years ago..I guess some thing just dont change.
As they say, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I am sure the parents of the pranksters are just as big of a bunch of D-bags as their kids. It’s great to see the community supporting this young lady and looking to help with her Home Coming.
For the D-bag prankster kids, Karma is a cold hearted bitch!
They should pull a Miss Congeniality! She's already a very pretty girl. But she could really knock some socks off and turn some heads with an expensive dress, and top knotch hair styling. She's thin already so she would rock any dress she wears, but she should keep it real and wear chucks under that dress. O and a big rock on both middle fingers for her to show off to all the kids who thought this would hurt her. In a little town like that the bully's names will most likely get around, and in a town like mine... it could prevent employers from hiring you. Be brave girl and wipe your feet on the haters.
Here is what I don't get and what disturbs me most. There is
no mention what so ever about the consequences the other students received for
their bullying. It is fantastic and great that the town and state has come out
in support of her, but there is no mention from the superintendent or the
principal concerning disciplinary actions taken. This is the biggest problem
with bullying... no consequences. All the students who participated should be
banned from the festivities. The ring leaders need to be identified and
publicly ridiculed in the town square and then made to repay the wonderful
people who came out and donated their time and materials for this girl's night
as queen. It does come down to the parents of the bullies, but it also comes
down to society. Every day we are bombarded with shows, movies, commercials,
etc. that glorify those who "have the looks" or money to make
themselves look that way. We need more companies such as Dove who is
campaigning against these issues and others that effect young women and how
they look. We need to stop glorify the jocks, the models, the actors/actresses,
the rich and famous, and start teaching real Christian values like the
"The Golden Rule". This is not taught today at home or in school and
most kids have never even heard the term. We want better for our kids, then we
need to address the issues and have parents turn of MTV, Disney, Nickelodeon
and other shows that perpetuate these behaviors. I would love nothing more than
to have a Bully Watch Force that's only job is to grab any individual who
bullies and beats the crap out of them, but since that won't happen; we had
better take a stand against the parents of bullies and their children who
bully. I am sure this will fall on deaf ears, or the excuses will start flying
as to why we can't. To those people I say, shut and sit down and go hide under
your covers. I hasten to say that probably 1/2 of all bullying cases are done
by kids whose parents are republican bullies or Tea Partiers who impose their
will on the rest of us. STAND UP and FIGHT BACK. It is what bullies understand.
And they would be Republican, why? Why not Democrats?
Donald was on a 'Ron Paul' style rant roll, then he blew it.
Political belief has zero to do with this story. Nice to see that you could douche it up, Donny...
Actually, the 1/2 statement about them being Republican is probably correct because the other 1/2 are Democrats. All kinds can bully and be bullied.
I also don't get the joke. She is a very attractive girl. Maybe this story is a prank.
Just a side note .......apparently these little pranksters have never seen the movie "Carrie"
Bullies are PIGS!
Not a one of those sadistic rejects probably has the grace and poise of this woman.
The real QUEENS are rarely picked by the clicks - so you keep going you brave young thing and throw it in their faces by standing tall!!!!!
I don't understand that joke. But if I had to guess maybe it had something to do with the boy she was paired with which ultimately withdrew. Did they pair her up with a specific boy (nerdy, geeky?) as a prank or was it the boy (popular jock?) being paired with her a joke? Or is it just because there's something about her that wasn't mentioned in the article?
My guess is the 'joke' is that she is a sophomore. Around here, prom is reserved for juniors and seniors. Sounds to me like she stole a boyfriend or made one of the populars upset or jealous in some way. From the picture, it looks like she has dyed hair and the remains of some orange hair-dye and dark nail polish on only a select few nails so she may be a quiet introvert who is a part of the punk clique. The punks and populars have never gotten along and the introverted ones in the punk clique were always the subject of popular pranks and bullying. Just a guess from observations in the photo.
They even have high school jerks in michigan. Technology doesn't help.
I agree with Ludvig. She looks like a Homecoming queen to me.... I hope the prank backfires on the bullies.
What a bunch of little sh*ts Whitney should assume something is wrong with them and take to heart her other classmates telling her to go and have a good time.
Well, it is sad, and I hope karma gets those kids involved! Take a step back and look at the parents of these mean kids.
Keep your head up and put a smile on your face, Miss Kropp. More than likely, you WILL be elected Homecoming Queen! Enjoy your moment. You deserve it!
I am SO glad that this lovely, kind young lady is having good things happen in her life as a result of her classmates' thoughtless cruelty. The joke is on them now. I hope they'll learn a lesson from watching how a classy person like Whitney Kropp handles adversity.
That was funny DingleB.
Kids do stupid things. Their brains just aren't developed enough to realize I cruel and petty they are. That's why we call them juvenile. Hopefully all involved learn something from this. I have respect for all the high school teachers that have the patients to help these idiots make it to adulthood.