LINDSTROM, MN (WCMH) –  Classmates at a Minnesota high school made senior year unforgettable for one student.

On Monday, Doran Velaski, a senior with Down syndrome, became homecoming king. “He’s never having a bad day,” said classmate Anders Brown. “He’s just smiling. You end up smiling because it’s contagious.”

“He’s always giving high-fives, just being friendly, and putting himself out there” said homecoming queen, Kalli-Jo Olson.

Doran’s name kept coming up when it was time to vote. His classmates said it was an easy decision, and when Doran was crowned in front of the whole school, everyone was ecstatic.

“I was super excited,” said classmate Gabe Taylor. “The feeling it gave all of us is even better than if we had won.”

Doran’s parents were taken aback by the news.

“I was surprised,” said Doran’s mom Jennifer. “I felt like I won a million dollars. I was just in awe and very proud.”

“When you have a special needs kid, when they are really, really little, as a parent you worry how is he going to be accepted by his peers,” said Doran’s dad Keith. “Is he going to be treated well? Are people going to be nice to him? Is he going to be able to make friends? And then you when you fast forward to something like this, you can’t believe you ever worried about that. So as a parent, it’s a fantastic feeling. It’s really great.”