Kids & Family
Top Story of 2013: Pink Wave Engulfs Windham Middle School
WMS students, parents and teachers come together in support of 7th-grader who wore pink in honor of mother, who survived breast cancer.
While many of the other top stories of the year in Windham and surrounding communities involved local politics, major crime and other news with generally negative connotations, our top story of 2013 presents an undoubtedly positive look at a school rallying behind one student who chose to standup for a cause that was particularly close to his heart.
Ryan Marotta, 12, a 7th-grader at Windham Middle School, decided wear pink shoes in honor of his mother, Kimberly, a breast cancer survivor. Instead of being applauded by his peers, he was teased by some students for his show of support.
His mother and brother began a social media campaign that soon went viral. Within days, the entire student body and faculty at WMS was wearing pink to support the young student.
The story reached Los Angeles, where Queen Latifah welcomed the Marotta brothers and their mother on her talk show where former New England Patriots and current Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll presented the boys with a special message and gift package.
Read the original story here and watch the video from the Queen Latifah show here.
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