A most deserving homecoming king
by Beth
She’s back! Here’s our former intern Elsa Remak with a guest post.
Once a Kang, always a Kang
by Elsa Remak
The high school I went to has a slogan: Once a Kang, Always a Kang (the mascot is a kangaroo). I have always found that phrase a bit cheesy. My high school years in Kirkland, Washington were not my “glory years.” They were simply a passage way to college. I met some amazing, lifelong friends along the way, but our high school operated like a teen movie, plagued by the cliques and bullies that fill the halls of schools across the country.
My indifferent views of my high school recently changed thanks to a senior there named Tre Walker. An article in the Kirkland Reporter, my hometown newspaper, profiled Tre, whose name sounds like “Tray.” Tre is an 18-year-old with special needs, and he’s Lake Washington High School’s 2013 Homecoming King.
Tre did not win the crown because of his disability, he won because of his character. He is the epitome of what a Homecoming King should be: he’s social, bleeds purple and white (our school colors) and is involved in various school activities.
Tre also has the power to unify a school: he won the crown with 90% of the vote. It was a landslide victory, and even Tre’s fellow nominees advocated for him!
The article explained that each nominee had to produce a video clip to gain the student body’s votes, and this year many nominees took the opportunity to express why Tre is the one who should be King. “To be a Kang is to be one person — Tre Walker,” senior Tommy Oliver said in his video. “This kid is more of a Kang than any of us will ever be in our lives. He owns more purple and white, he goes to more sporting events and, overall, he’s a Kang … Vote for Tre — he’s king.” You can check out all the videos (if you have the patience to listen to all the school announcements first or you could just skip to 4:33) and you’ll notice how so many of the videos from other nominees followed Tommy Oliver’s example.
I’m not sure who I’m more proud of, Tre Walker or the entire student body at Lake Washington High School. Trey has redefined what it means to be Homecoming King. My high school has drastically changed since I graduated nearly four years ago. Many college students and adults could learn from the acceptance that the teens of LWHS are practicing. For the first time in my life, I am proud to be an alumni of Lake Washington High School.