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Tragically disabled student voted 'Most Changed'
A disabled high school senior was voted Most Changed since Junior High by his fellow classmates in this week’s yearbook voting.
LINCOLN, Neb.— Jerry Skraggs, 18, was paralyzed from the waist down in a tragic car accident two years ago when the car he was driving hit a tree at 60 miles per hour.
Skraggs was an obvious choice for Lincoln Southeast High School’s Most Changed honor, with his motionless legs and recent dependence upon a wheelchair.
Voting for senior yearbook honors is a tradition at Lincoln Southeast. “Usually we put the junior high yearbook picture next to the senior picture, but we’ll have to get a full body photo for this one,” said yearbook editor Macy Yarborough.
Candidates for Most Changed included Skraggs and previously overweight Denise Mitchell. “I thought Jerry was the most deserving,” said senior Beth Grafton. “I remember back in junior high when he would walk around and play sports. Now people carry him up the stairs.”
The wheelchair-bound senior won easily by a vote of 367-59. “Jerry is obviously different now with his completely lifeless legs, but I thought Denise deserved it because she’s really hot now,” said classmate Mike Rice.
The yearbook committee informed Skraggs of his victory a day before it was announced over the school’s intercom system. He recalls the moment and remembers being so excited he wished he could jump for joy.
“It’s nice to be recognized for something,” said the crippled Skraggs. “In the past I would have hoped for Most Athletic or Most Comical, but since the accident I’ve lost both my athletic ability and my entire sense of humor.”
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