When the S&S High School homecoming queen winner was announced, Trinity Arrington was shocked to hear her name. Arrington, a senior at the Sadler, Texas school, walked across the field to get her crown – but she decided it actually belonged to someone else. So, she handed it to another girl: her classmate, Emily Petty, who has Down syndrome.
“I didn’t think I was going to win. I told everyone that asked me if I wanted to win that I wanted Emily to win, so I told them to vote for her,” Arrington told KXII. Both girls were nominated for the high school honor, but Arrington ultimately won.
However, she wanted Petty to share the spotlight. “I decided to give my crown to my sweet friend Emily because she’s always wanted to be a princess. So I decided she deserved it,” Arrington said.
Video from the homecoming game shows the two girls walking hand-in-hand down the field – the glittering crown sits atop Petty’s head. The teens met a year ago, when Arrington started eating lunch in the special education classroom and befriended Petty.
“I love her every day,” Petty said, holding her friends hands as they spoke with KXII after their homecoming win.
Arrington said she cried when she handed her friend the crown. And Petty assured her she shouldn’t cry.
“We got to be it together. I think that was the best part for me,” Arrington said. For both of these girls, winning homecoming queen is a day they will never forget – but it’s about more than a high school title.
Arrington’s kindness means the world to Petty. And Petty inspires Arrington right back. “She’s always been my queen, she deserved it. It made her happy,” Arrington said.
