Whitney Kropp: Michigan town rallies around teen pranked for homecoming

A Michigan teen who was elected to her high school’s homecoming court in a cruel prank by some classmates has drawn an incredible show of support from her small community.

Whitney Kropp, 16, a student at Ogemaw Heights High School, was initially thrilled to lea that she had been elected to the homecoming court of her sophomore class.

But her triumph tued to humiliation when she found out from other students that her nomination was nothing but a prank by the popular kids at the school - and she was told that the male student who was elected with her had withdrawn.

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Her mother Beice Kropp told NBC that the joke prompted students to pick on her daughter both at school and on Facebook.

Whitney Kropp admits that she's not among the popular students at Ogemaw, but didn't think her classmates could stoop so low.

She told WNEM-TV: 'It's just basically high school drama, immaturity is how I can see it.'

But the bullying got so relentless that she thought about taking her own life.

She told the network: 'I had actually reached a point where I had thought about suicide for how bad this case was in. I thought I wasn't worthy at Ogemaw Heights at all.'

But the savage bullying was soon overpowered by a tremendous outpouring of support for the teen.

A Facebook page was set up in support of Miss Kropp; the 'Support Whitney Kropp' page already has more than 33,000 likes - and counting.

Kindess: Donations have helped Kropp pay for her dress, hair and make-up for the dance on Saturday night

Hurt: The 16-year-old was humiliated to lea that she had been elected in a prank by fellow students

For the homecoming dance on Saturday night, businesses will buy her dinner, take her photo, fix her hair and nails, and dress her in a gown, shoes and a tiara, the Detroit News reported.

Shannon Champagne and another beauty salon worker have offered their services to help.

'It really touched me,' Champagne, a nail tech, said. 'I can't believe that kids can be so mean and ruthless. In high school, everything means everything to you. You don't realize that none of it will matter after you leave.'

And at the homecoming game on Friday, residents will flood to the football stadium so they can cheer when she is introduced at halftime. They will wear orange - her favourite colour - and t-shirts emblazoned with messages of support.

'I am in awe, overwhelmed at the amount of support,' Jamie Kline, 35, who began the Facebook support page, told the News. 'I never expected it to spread as far as it has.'

For Miss Kropp, the messages and kind words from the town and complete strangers thousands of miles away is enough to drown out the bullies - and she's now looking forward to the big dance.

Beice Kropp told WNEM: 'This was something that was really awful, could have ended awful, and because so many people came together, it just tued right around.'

Support: Whitney, second from right, is seen with her sister Olivia, mother Beice and brother Justin

Kropp recounted to the News how she had been sitting in her geometry class on September 13 when the results of the homecoming vote were announced over the school PA system - to the laughter of some of her fellow classmates.

Despite her surprise, she had been happy that she had been called, her mother said.

'The first thing is softhearted,' Beice Kropp said when asked to describe her daughter. 'She's just sweet. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body.'

Even when Josh Awrey, a popular football player, quickly withdrew as the other sophomore rep, she was still excited about the news.

'In the Homecoming Court! :)' she wrote on her Facebook page after the announcement. 'Little nervous but this is going to be fun :D'

After the backlash, Awrey has now decided to remain a class rep, even though he said on his Facebook page that he had never wanted to be part of homecoming.

'Im sick of everyone blaming me,' he wrote. 'I had nothing to do with this. I think what they (students) did is rlly rude and immature.'

WNEM TV 5