Think back to your high school prom king entering the dance. Was it the popular kid, or the jock? Denmark High in Wisconsin decided to buck that trend, instead giving one young man a night he will never forget.
Justin Mleziva was born with autism, but he isn't letting that hold him back.
"He's the nicest kid ever," Patrick Suemnick, Denmark High junior.
"He's so polite and he just wants to be friends with everybody," said Claire Sipple, junior class president.
When it came time to vote for prom court, the students said they didn't have much to discuss.
"It's just special for him. We knew our class was a good class and that he would definitely be part of the court," said Sipple.
But students didn't know if he had won, until the announcement on prom night.
"I started bawling, like a baby. I'm just extremely grateful to the kids in his class," said Kim Mleziva, Justin’s mother.
Making the night extra special is the election of Justin’s queen.
“Leah Krawlovetz is the queen, and I am the king and I win!" Justin said.
Krawlovetz has been providing support for Justin since elementary school and escorted him to the dance.
"It does take a village to raise a child and I think it is just a great coming together," said Kim.
Kim says she hopes Justin's story will inspire other parents with children who have special needs.
"Advocate for them. Fight for them because, I mean, look at what happened to Justin tonight," she said.
Few at the Denmark High School say they will ever forget how Justin’s class made the young man feel like a king.
