West Branch teen named to high school homecoming court as prank

The idea of homecoming court pranks is a topic popular within movies, TV and books. The most popular case in point is the Stephen King book "Carrie" and the movie adaptation. Unfortunately, the way Carrie teaches the bullies a lesson (by setting the auditorium on fire) has not served as a lesson and deterrent for others to do this same thing to fellow classmates.

This doesn't just happen in the movies, but sadly, this happens in real life. And this kind of prank is a form of bullying. A prank crosses the line from "harmless fun" into bullying when its purpose is to humiliate and shame. 

Whitney Kropp
The Associated Press reports that Whitney Kropp, a junior at West Branch's Ogemaw Heights High School, was named to her high school homecoming court as part of an apparent prank. 

I couldn't imagine having to go through this in high school. And on top of that, how can any students be punished for what they did to her? If school officials wanted to do that, they would have to punish the entire class. After all, it would be really difficult to find out who started this — considering several students would have to take part in this cruel prank in order to vote her onto the court. 

 But this story does have a happy ending. Several local businesses, hearing about what happened to her, have donated their services to Kropp — buying her dinner, fixing her hair and nails and dressing her in a gown free of charge.

To me, this shows that no matter how many people are bullies, there are still just as many people (if not more) out there who stand against these bullies and will stand up for the bullied. 

For those who are bullied, if this isn't proof you are not alone — I don't know what is. If you are bullied, there are several people out there who have your back. 

 On The Oakland Press' Facebook page, reader Sherry Lazdinsh shared her experiences being bullied in high school — and offers hope to those who are being bullied. She shows that, just because you are bullied, doesn't mean what they say is true. And it doesn't mean you won't have a great future.

 Lazdinsh wrote, "I was bullied horribly in HS, teased for being adopted, picked on for having braces and glasses as well. I was teased for being in a special math class, told I would be nothing in life. But now at 26 I am married with two beautiful daughters, have a house of my own and I am very happy and successful. My bully? Well she is living in her parents basement with no job.....Moral of the story, bullies in HS tend to be loser as adults. I wish this girl all the best at her dance and in her future."

Monica's goal is to raise awareness about suicide and help erase the stigma associated with mental illness. In 2012, she won first place in News Enterprise Reporting by the Michigan Press Association for her series on suicide in the community, and in 2013, was named “Digital Innovator of the Year” by the Local Media Association. In 2019, she received the Ambassador Award from the suicide prevention nonprofit Six Feet Over. She started the blog Meant to Live to help others by sharing signs of depression, reasons to live, resources, suicide and bullying prevention groups, other people’s stories and memorials. She especially wants to show people that they are not alone.

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1 comments

  1. Dawn SchallerSeptember 26, 2012 at 1:53 AM

    Monica, When the story came out about Whitney Kropp, my husband was so upset about it that he called the school district. He was told that they had received calls and emails from all over the country. It's good that the business community came together to help out Whitney, but unfortunate that the school district apparently did nothing about the students who did it. If there are no repercussions, more bullying will surely follow.

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