April Clark’s remarkable homecoming experience began when she accepted her classmate’s invitation to the traditional dance, in a heartwarming moment that was captured on video at Anaheim’s Esperanza High School and later went viral.
Friday night marked another thrilling episode for the 18-year-old girl when she was named homecoming queen.
The coronation was reported by the Orange County Register and confirmed in a congratulatory tweet from the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District.
The newspaper published photos of April wearing a tiara and holding a bouquet of roses. Other images show her receiving congratulations from homecoming princesses, her family members and her friend Sean Boots, the 15-year-old boy who asked her to the dance.
April and Sean both have Down syndrome, their families told KTLA.
They appear in a 30-second video, tweeted on Sept. 25, that shows April clasp her hand to her mouth in surprise as Sean, flowers in hand, stands next to a pink banner asking her to the dance.
“April, it would be SWEEET if you went to HC with me,” the banner reads.
The blond-haired girl jumps to accept the flowers and receives a hug from the young gentleman. Bystanders then erupt in cheers.
The video has subsequently been retweeted more than 44,300 times. On Facebook, the clip has received more than 10 million views.