Ashley Schirmer excitedly talked about the Special Olympics events she'd be competing in - from the softball throw to the 100-meter dash.

"I'm gonna win!" she proclaimed.

Fellow Holton High School senior Jed Lux would be there, too. The 50-meter dash was his big event.

It's easy to see how these two students with Down Syndrome have won over their classmates. Senior Cory Wilson says anytime you're having a bad day, you walk into the hall and see them smiling and you smile. Breanna Eck agreed - their smiles make you happy.

Ashley and Jed have been part of the class since first grade. Their classmates never excluded them. So when it came time for senior prom, Ashley and Jed joined in. Ashley donned a pink gown, and Jed put on a tux - with Ashley as his date.

But just having them at the dance wasn't enough. Their classmates wanted something more.

"We've always been in the spotlight and they never really have," Cory said. "We felt they needed time in the spotlight."

The seniors at Holton elected Ashley and Jed their prom king and queen. Ashley remembers having a crown put on her head, and she and Jed danced.

"We circled around them while they danced," senior Alicia Coverdale described the scene. "There were so many cameras going off it was like light. It was amazing. They're the sweethearts of our school."

It was a moment the students say they'll always remember for all Ashley and Jed have taught them over the years.

For Cory, it's that there's never a bad day and there's always something to smile about. For Breanna, it's that life's too short to care about the drama and to always live life to the fullest. And for Alicia, Ashley and Jed represent the best of their class.

"They represent how we want to be and how we wish to be in the future," she says.