ANOKA, Minn. - Anoka High School is a sea of students and one of them is ready to retire her title of student and take over her reign as queen.
“I am so excited at becoming a queen and I am so excited to go to dance with my friends’ tomorrow,” 17-year-old Alyssa Hanna said on the eve of her big winter formal at Anoka High at which she is nominated for the dance’s queen.
Friday is actually MORP at AHS, it's prom spelled backwards but it’s just as big of a deal.
It has all the same ingredients of a prom: formal dress, a fancy hotel dance party and a student body that will chooses its royalty.
Alyssa is a finalist and not yet a queen, though, don't bother telling her, she's got a wave to perfect.
“It is just a dream come true, for me too,” Alyssa’s mom, Amy said.
Alyssa's mom couldn't be more proud of her daughter, no question.
But even more so of the kids who found her daughter among the masses.
“I am just so thrilled that we have so many amazing kids that have supported her and loved her and made high school such a wonderful experience for her because it could be so different,” Amy said.
Which brings us to Natalie and Jaimie... “Jamie and I have been really good friends with Alyssa and it was our goal this year to get Alyssa on the ballot for MORP queen. We’ve tweeted and spread the word and we really think it is going to turn out for her tomorrow,” Natalie said.
It was a campaign of 140 characters about 140,000 times unknown entirely to its candidate until last week when Jaimie and Natalie found out Alyssa had made it to the royal court.
“She deserves it out of everyone,” Jaimie said.
“We've seen last four years of high school that stereotypical girl get it and everybody excited for them I and think it’s our turn to make a difference and have someone else have light shine on them,” Natalie chimed in.