AUBURN, Wash. - In the hallways of Auburn Mountainview High School, there is no "in crowd," at least not to Landon Gallion and Kelsie Marr. The two special needs students see everyone as a friend, happily handing out high fives and hugs to anyone who passes by.
"They always have a smile on their face," said classmate Sam Brown. "Landon and Kelsie have always been great friends to all of us here at Mountainview."
So a few students like Brown decided to give the pair an honor befitting their inspiring personalities. They got Landon and Kelsie nominated for homecoming king and queen.
"It really made me feel good," said Kelsie. "It made me feel how popular I am."
Being nominated for king and queen was honor enough for the two seniors, but then their classmates mounted a campaign to see if the two could actually win.
"We just sent out the text messages to everybody we know saying vote for Landon and Kelsie and passed it along," said Sam Brown.
So, there they were at halftime of last weekend's big football game -- Landon and Kelsie - right alongside the cheerleaders and football players in the homecoming court. But would today's teens, so maligned for being shallow and self absorbed, really crown this unlikely pair homecoming royalty?
Landon says he wasn't nervous. His mom, Pam, was a different story. "I was shaking so much I couldn't even take pictures," she said.
In the end, the seniors of Auburn Mountainview High School overwhelmingly voted the unlikely couple as homecoming king and queen. It was a triumphant coronation for the couple and crowning moment for Mountainview High.
"I think it'll be a memory that will last forever ... for all of us," said Pam Gallion.
"I guess good things just happen to good people," said Sam Brown.
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