What do you think of this?

[Lammie]

A Very Costly Kiss: Senior Denied Diploma
by Mike Krumboltz
15 hours ago


10,809 Votes .For teens, there is no greater joy than graduating high school. Shaking off the shackles of education and claiming that hard-fought diploma is truly an epic day. Unfortunately, for several students at Bonny Eagle High School in Maine, their natural exuberance has led to some surprisingly serious problems.

On Friday night, when the senior class was waiting to graduate, excitement began to grow. Students bounced a large inflatable rubber duck. The noise level rose. And then came "the kiss." When called, one student walked on stage to receive his diploma and blew a kiss to his family. The school administrator, clearly not the sentimental sort, sent the student back to his seat ... sans diploma.

The seemingly harsh punishment has sent the Web all aflutter. Searches on "student denied diploma" and "bonny eagle high school" are both through the roof. Additionally, blogs and news papers are chiming in with opinions on whether or not the administration overreacted. The student's mother has given interviews and is quite upset at her son's treatment. According to an article from Fox News the outraged mother said, "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior."

But the administrators feel they were just enforcing the rules that students agreed to. At a meeting following the debacle, school superintendent Suzanne Lukas said that "if a student doesn't adhere to the expectations, then the consequences are clearly spelled out."

This isn't the first time that rambunctious (dare we say "fun"?) behavior affected a graduation ceremony at Bonny Eagle. "Four years ago we had some issues with silly string and beach balls," said Lukas.

 

[john250]

The student learned a valuable lesson--get the diploma (or the money) in hand before exhibiting independent behavior.
My good buddy was superintendent at a nearby high school a few years ago. They had one student who, upon receiving the diploma, shucked off his gown and streaked down the aisle out of the auditorium. It sounds like that graduate would have been shot at Bonny Eagle HS.

 

[Lammie]

IDK. As much as I appreciate rules, and I am The Enforcer at the school where I work, I also think that there should be a little wiggle room at graduation. Not streaking, and I think that that student should probably have been arrested or ticketed for indecent exposure, blowing a kiss to the family? Really? The class beforem mine were each given a piece of a porno jigsaw puzzle which they handed to the principal when they got their diplomas. With my class, it was marbles. I didn't hand mine in, I threw it at the band. Not hard, just to get rid of it. When I graduated college, there was a beach ball. There was a beach ball in my son's HS graduation. And at my son's college graduation, the audience was much worse than the students at acting up.

It's the end of the school year, the start of a whole new life, and I think that there should be a little playfullness involved if that's what the students want.

I'd be mad if I were that kid's mother. He's gotten all his credits, and he should be allowed to get his diploma.

 

[alacattleman]

he's not getting his diploma at all, or just didnt get it during the ceremony?

 

[BeefmasterB]

he's not getting his diploma at all, or just didnt get it during the ceremony?

I would bet they still get the diploma. Even though the infraction seemed minor, if the administration looks the other way then the students would most likely just try another infraction.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Every school has minimum educational requirements to receive a diploma. If those requirements (as set by the school board) are satisfied, the kid is due his diploma.

Take them to court. Put me on the jury! It is not like the kid mooned the crowd or made any mud in your face gesture. He blew a kiss.

Why do they think everyone hated school so much? Some administrators are as bad as the wannabe cops when it comes to control.

We had a childish instructor here from a university about 15 years back that tried some of those control antics. 38 engineers got up and walked out. They sent us another one and fired that one.

 

[KNERSIE]

Why do they think everyone hated school so much? Some administrators are as bad as the wannabe cops when it comes to control.

Could not agree more!

We have a saying here that (most) teachers are adults amongst children and children amongst adults.