Schools
Students Seek to Honor Fallen Classmates as Prom Queen, King
The seniors at Bremen High School seek to honor the late Paola Zambrano and Mark Gorman.
MIDLOTHIAN, IL - A student-driven effort at Bremen High School has begun to make two of the Class of 2017’s fallen classmates the Prom Queen and King. Paola Zambrano, described as a young girl “known and loved by all” died of colon cancer in September of 2015. Mark Gorman was killed when he was hit by a car last October while walking home from a boy scouts outing.
Weeks ahead of the May 12 prom at the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park, the senior students at the Midlothian school agreed to withhold from entering anyone in the contest for Queen and King other than the late Zambrano and Gorman. That’s according to Jake Gorman, Mark’s older brother and a 2011 Bremen alum.
“What they (the current students) did stood out to me as amazing,” Jake Gorman said. “You see Bremen in the news quite a bit. Not all of it is good, but when it comes down to it it is great to see students band together and show this kind of heart.”
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Jake remembers a student having died during his time at Bremen, but the student-body then “would not have collaborated” the way the current one has.
“This is a student led movement,” he said. “In our days a staff member would have given the idea.”
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The idea behind not entering any contestants for Prom Queen and King is to ensure Zambrano and Gorman are remembered by being the only members of the Prom Court. Gorman said on Wednesday that it has been confirmed both names are on the ballot but it's not known whether they are the only ones.
“It means a lot to me because the whole school came together for two people who left their mark on Bremen High School,” said Jake, who remembers 436 students calling off of school to attend his brother’s funeral last October.
That was the first time that Jake noticed the Bremen community banding together as a strong unit.
“My brother wanted to serve in the Army,” he said. “He wasn’t able to, but bringing everyone together like that in my mind is a bigger accomplishment.”
School officials haven't commented on the student-led effort. The Prom Court will be announced on Monday, May 8.
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