He Does Belong
from MN Post-Bulletin
Matthew Stolle
It's Tuesday morning at Plainview-Elgin-Millville High School, and Trevor Wingert is making his way to class, his unmistakable gait propelling him down the hallway.
When Trevor walks, he pushes off with his left foot to compensate for a weaker, less developed right leg. But rather than coming across as a limp, his walk gives Trevor a certain swagger, confidence and determination.
Trevor's personality and social skills have the same effect,
overshadowing the fact that Trevor has Down Syndrome. Trevor strolls
down the hallway as students and teachers greet him with a simple
"Hi, Trevor" or "Hey, Trevor."
Everybody seems to know Trevor, and Trevor, a senior, knows many
of his fellow classmates by name. To fall within his affectionate domain
means to be on the receiving end of one of his many hugs, says his
special education teacher, Emily Meyer.
"He's always saying something that makes you laugh or brightens
your day. Most mornings, he'll say, 'Hey, Miss Meyer, how you
doing? You need a hug today,'" Meyer said.
To many students, it comes as an afterthought -- if a thought at all --
that Trevor was born with a condition associated with impaired
cognitive ability and physical growth.
"I can't really tell if he did have Down Syndrome or not," said Anthony
McClellan, a P-E-M junior after asking Trevor whether he had gotten
his tux for prom yet. "I just look at him like a normal person."
He is known far and wide in this district as the biggest, most passionate fan of the Bulldog high school football team, on which he served as team manager the last two years. Trevor bleeds gold and black, students and coaches say, and the Bulldog logo is ever-present on his person, from his shirt to his personalized checkbook.
The culminating moment in Trevor's high school career was when Trevor was named homecoming king last fall.
In the week after his nomination but prior to the official
naming of the king and queen, his teachers and
mother, Rhonda, tried to tamp down expectations,
preparing him for the possibility that he might not win
the crown. But Trevor would not hear of it, strenuously
resisting, sometimes with tears in his eyes, the
notion that he wouldn't win.
"He would say, 'You're just being mean to me. Stop
teasing me,'" Meyer said.
In the end, Trevor won in a landslide, winning all but
about 25 votes. When the news was announced, the
gym full of students, teachers and community
But a victory speech had not been prepared. Rhonda
remembers looking at her husband, Joe, and
wondering, "Oh boy, wonder what he will say?" But
Trevor winged it successfully. After thanking the
queen, his classmates and his brothers, Trevor ended his speech with a simple peroration: "Mom and Dad, I love you."
It was a moment that brought Rhonda to tears.
"It was a very proud moment for us, because that's all we've ever wanted is for him to be accepted, and this was it," Rhonda said.
