Many people in high school look forward to Homecoming all year. One local senior took home a crown, but that wasn't the most important part of her night.
Senior student Grayson Wooten is a member of the Key Club, the Art Club, and is a Walker County participant at the Special Olympics, but Friday night she added one more thing to that list when she was crowned the 2015 Homecoming queen.
Wooten struts down the halls of Gordon Lee High school with her friends nearby and her new silver tiara placed perfectly on her head. She can't help but smile after her classmates voted her Homecoming queen this past Friday.
We asked her what it was like when they called her name over the loud speaker. "My fans went wild and it made me happy," Grayson said.
As her mom Melissa Wooten recalls that night, it's hard for her to fight back the tears.
"As soon as I heard Gray, she just, she went crazy and the crowd went crazy. She was so excited, and she just, it just touches your heart," said Melissa Wooten.
Grayson's been with most of these kids since Kindergarten and they've always accepted her, even though Grayson has Down syndrome.
"Just to allow her to have this opportunity is just amazing," Melissa added.
That special moment caught in pictures taken by Melissa. This one is Grayson with her dad just moments before they named her queen.
Melissa says she and Grayson spent days looking for the perfect dress.
"What color dress were you looking for the whole time," we asked? "Pink," said Grayson.
"Why'd you want pink," we asked? "Because it's my favorite color," she added.
Now that the day has passed, the Wooten's will keep their memories of that night alive with the pictures and Grayson's special spunk that will always remind them she wasn't just a queen that day.
"We woke up Saturday morning and her dad walked into the kitchen and said, 'Good morning, Grayson' and she said, 'Oh, no, it is queen Grayson to you,'" Melissa said.
A queen with an unforgettable personality and a day Grayson Wooten and the Gordon Lee class of 2016 will never forget.
Grayson will graduate this spring from Gordon Lee High school.
She's also beginning to look at colleges. The two on her list are Lee University and Georgia Northwestern.
By: Stephanie Santostasi