Lance's Journal: The Crowning of a New Waverly Queen, Oct. 15

By: Lance Schwartz - Email

Posted: Mon 7:23 PM, Oct 15, 2012

Ever since Hannah Goodban started going to Waverly Public Schools she's been a shining light.

Time and time again, she inspires classmates with her unwavering desire to overcome the challenges of cerebral palsy.

And just when you thought her light couldn't get any brighter...it did.

I knew it from the moment I met her last spring, Hannah Goodban is an extraordinary young lady.

Even though she was never supposed to survive at birth and she has to work extra hard to be just like everyone else, there's a special twinkle in her eye.

It was new to me, but Hannah's Waverly friends have seen it for years.

When we first got to know Hannah this past April, she had beaten the odds and made her way onto the Waverly High School Speech Team.

It was a great way to end her junior year. This past weekend, Hannah found a great way to start her senior year. It took place at halftime of the homecoming football game.

It was a moment very few of those in attendance will ever forget. The voice over the p.a. system echoed throughout the stadium, "The 2012 Waverly High School homecoming king and queen are Hannah Goodban and Kevin Dennis."

I asked Hannah how it felt when she heard her name over the loud speakers, "Amazing, good. I feel like I inspired everybody. It's like a dream come true."

Hannah's parents say their daughters new crown speaks volumes about the kindness of the entire town of Waverly and most notably Hannah's classmates who have been beside her since kindergarten.

Lindsey Erickson speaks for the class of 2013, "We have a saying that we want to leave a legacy and I think that this is really great thing that we're gonna leave behind and put our mark on the school and also put a mark on Hannah's life that she can look back on and say that was a really great part of high school for her."

Jesse Maguire just knew it was going to be a landslide victory for Hannah, "This was a process. We all thought about this earlier. We needed her to be homecoming queen because we wanted her to represent us as the class of 2013. She's just an inspiration to all of us."

Hannah is very social person so after she graduates in May she'd like to work with people, especially people with special needs.

Ideally, Hannah will eventually attend Southeast Community College in Lincoln.

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