Huntington High Homecoming: All in the family

HUNTINGTON -- Some teenage girls might give their parents the heave-ho after snapping one or two photos before the homecoming dance.

But not Byranna Eckert. The 17-year-old Huntington High School junior allowed her parents, Karen and Anthony Ashworth, to take as many photos as they wanted Saturday night. Eckert has several health conditions, including autism and a pulmonary valve stenosis. She had surgery when she was 12 to help her heart condition, which causes a narrowing of the valve and hinders blood flow to the lungs.

She is scheduled to have another surgery in the near future, Karen Ashworth said.

"We're trying to make every little moment count for her," she said. "This means everything to us just to see her smile."

The atmosphere at Huntington High helped make the evening fun, as the Student Council went with a candyland theme. Sophomore Class President Franklin Norton said they debated doing a Halloween event since homecoming was so late this year. But he said they thought candyland would be much more lighthearted and fun. They even had a candy buffet.

Junior Rachel Rohrbach said having the last homecoming of all the local schools made the week more exciting because there was a sense of heightened anticipation. And it gave them more time to plan and get ready.

"I like seeing people enjoy it, knowing our hard work was worth it," she said.