Meet the 17-Year-Old Girl Running for High School Prom King

Brooke Durr, posing in the tux she plans to wear to prom in two weeks, is the first female at her school to be on the ballot for prom king. (Photo: Brooke Durr)

Up until last month, Brooke Durr, a high-school senior, didn’t even think she would be going to her prom, which is scheduled for May 15 in her hometown of Amarillo, Tex.

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But then she found a girl to be her date, and as a member of the prom committee, she became increasingly excited about attending and making sure she had a great time. That’s when the idea hit her.

“I was thinking, what can I do to make prom this year new and different, and then it came to me, I’ll run for prom king,” the 17-year-old senior at Richard Milburn Academy, a public high school in Amarillo, tells Yahoo Parenting.

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“It was just a last-minute thing, and I didn’t do it to prove a point or challenge the way prom has always been,” she says. “It was just an idea, and when I told people at school, most students really liked the idea. Two of my teachers, who handle the nomination list, gave me their backing and said I’d be on the ballot. And my date, who graduated from my school already, also gave me her support.”

Of course, considering that Brooke is female, and prom kings are usually male, it stands to reason that not everyone at her school would be so accepting of her idea. That may be why her principal took her name off the official nomination list, says Brooke.

“When I found out, I was really upset, and I tried to talk to her about it but she wasn’t in school at the time,” says Brooke, who plans to attend culinary school after graduation this month.

Because she couldn’t connect with her principal, Brooke posted a rant about it on her Facebook page. Her post went viral, racking up more than 1,000 shares, and messages of support from strangers poured in.

“People were writing me such positive messages, and I think when my principal found out how much support I had, it made her reconsider,” she says. Brooke’s mom backed her run for prom king as well, and after her mom went to speak to the principal, Brooke’s name made it to the ballot.

Chris Skipper, an administrator at Brooke’s high school, told a local news reporter from Amarillo’s NewsChannel 10 that the school decided to put Brooke on the ballot because the student body was all for it.

“In the present situation we are comfortable in supporting the kids’ desires and will look forward to seeing them all enjoy this celebration of hard work, diverse expression, and achievement,” he told NewsChannel 10.

Brooke is one of four prom king nominees (the other three are guys) vying for the title. Voting occurs on Monday, and the winner will be announced at prom.

“After they announce who won king and queen, you get a crown, and maybe a sash, and you do a first dance,” says Brooke. “I’m not trying to challenge anything, I just wanted to make prom more memorable.”

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