GADSDEN, Ala. (AP) - The word “queen” has many definitions. Blayne Gibbs has them covered.
Most recently, she was named homecoming queen at West End High School. It’s an honor that thrilled not only the senior, but her classmates, family and the community.
“She’s regal,” West End High School principal Butch Dixon said of Blayne. “If you look at the definition of queen in the dictionary, there are several and she fits them all.”
As principal, Dixon was involved in counting votes and said Blayne overwhelmingly received the most votes from the student body.
That makes his heart swell, because the students saw past the superficial and included Blayne in a big event for the senior class.
The moment when she was crowned on the field during the Patriots’ homecoming football game was priceless for her parents.
Blayne’s father, Robbie Gibbs, escorted his daughter during the ceremony and wiped a tear as she was crowned.
It’s a moment the couple never dreamed would happen when Blayne was just a baby.
She has autism with mental retardation, her mother, Wendy Gibbs, said.
When Blayne was 3 months old, the genetic doctors at UAB told Robbie and Wendy they didn’t know what was wrong.
“But they said take her home and never stop pushing her,” Wendy said. “So, we took our baby home and did just that, and we never stopped pushing her.”
Blayne met all but one of the normal baby milestones on time, but her parents knew what they faced.
“In our hearts, we knew there were major challenges ahead for our family,” she said.
Blayne still hadn’t talked by age 3, so she was enrolled in Etowah County preschool. Wendy, now principal of Sardis High School, was a special education teacher at the time. Her parents, J.L. and Robbie King, had insisted she go back to work, so she stayed with them every day.
Blayne’s grandparents took her to Gadsden three days a week for two years. She then was in a self-contained classroom at John S. Jones Elementary in Rainbow City. The family lives in the Walnut Grove area, about 20 miles from the school.
“Putting my tiny baby on the special needs bus for the first time was brutal for all of us,” Wendy said. “At that time, I was teaching special education at West End Elementary and I knew how hard school can sometimes be for special needs students. Robbie and I were scared for Blayne.”
Blayne’s teacher at John Jones, Holly Murphy, recommended she be tested for autism, and the diagnosis was confirmed.
“We were nervous, but Blayne did not know she was supposed to be afraid,” her mother said. “Believe me, she was not. She thrived and all of her teachers were wonderful.”
Blayne then went to a self-contained classroom at Rainbow Middle School. Her teacher was Allison Stephens, now director of special education for Etowah County Schools. Wendy said Blayne and Stephens formed a special bond.
“I really believe God put them in each other’s lives,” she said.
Blayne was part of the first self-contained classroom at West End High School, one of two at high schools in Etowah County. The other is at Gaston.
The Gibbses were proud Blayne was going to be at West End, the school where both her parents graduated, but there was still fear of the unknown. Wendy said they were concerned whether other students would accept the special needs students. “Would they fully appreciate the fact that Blayne could name everything in the room, but was unable to have a real two-way conversation?” she said.
Wendy now says they shouldn’t have worried. “Blayne has a way of making friends with everyone,” she said. “It is not unusual for us to be eating out or shopping, and a teenager we do not know walk up and start talking to Blayne. They will introduce themselves and tell us they go to school with Blayne. As the mother and father of a special needs child, it makes you feel so good to see ’normal’ teenagers interacting with your child.”
“The administration, faculty, staff and students at West End have been such a blessing to our family,” Wendy said, as Blayne faces her last year at West End.
Tammy Hammett is her teacher and Darlene Butler is her aide.
“They have done an outstanding job with the self-contained program at West End,” Wendy said. “The students are allowed to learn and explore at their own pace. I just can’t say enough about the self-contained program in Etowah County. All of the teachers and administrators do an excellent job.”
Wendy said when she received the call that Blayne had been elected to the senior homecoming court, she was hesitant to allow her to participate. “All the old fears were still there,” she said.
But Hammett assured her the senior class loves Blayne and wanted to give her this honor. “Their support, love and acceptance has been amazing,” she said.
Hammett said Blayne is a happy child and wants to participate in all activities. “We all just love her so much,” she said.
There are no words to describe how happy Blayne was that homecoming night. The look on her face during the crowning said it all.
“It was pure joy and happiness; she even did a little dance,” her mother said. “As she walked across that field with Robbie, and they both looked so happy, the tears just started to flow. I was not alone. There were probably 50 close family and friends there to see Blayne. Add to that a stadium full of well-wishers and there might not have been a dry eye in the house.”
Wendy said a huge thanks to the senior class at West End is in order. “Thank you from the bottom our hearts,” she said. “You have made Blayne so happy, and shown the world what true love and acceptance are all about.”
Dixon said, as principal, he is proud of the senior class. Rankings and statistics are based on grades, but there is no way to put a number on what the students and the school have gained from a learning experience like this.
“There will never be a column to evaluate what it means to be a good person,” he said.
___
Information from: The Gadsden Times, https://www.gadsdentimes.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.