GALESBURG, Illinois – Caisha Gayles graduated with honors last month, but she is still waiting for her diploma. The reason: the whoops of joy from the audience as she crossed the stage.
Gayles was one of five students denied diplomas from the lone public high school in Galesburg after enthusiastic friends or family members cheered for them during commencement.
About a month before the May 27 ceremony, Galesburg High students and their parents had to sign a contract promising to act in dignified way. Violators were warned they could be denied their diplomas and barred from the after-graduation party.
Many schools across the country ask spectators to hold applause and cheers until the end of graduation. But few of them enforce the policy with what some in Galesburg say are strong-arm tactics.
“It was like one of the worst days of my life,” said Gayles, who had a 3.4 grade-point average and officially graduated, but does not have the keepsake diploma to hang on her wall. “You walk across the stage and then you can't get your diploma because of other people cheering for you. It was devastating, actually.”
School officials in Galesburg, a working-class town of 34,000 that is still reeling from the 2004 shutdown of a 1,600-employee refrigerator factory, said the get-tough policy followed a 2005 commencement where hoots, hollers and even air horns drowned out much of the ceremony and nearly touched off fights in the audience when the unruly were asked to quiet down.
“Lots of parents complained that they could not hear their own child's name called,” said Joel Estes, Galesburg's assistant superintendent. “And I think that led us to saying we have to do something about this to restore some dignity and honor to the ceremony so that everyone can appreciate it and enjoy it.”
In Indianapolis, public school officials this year started kicking out parents and relatives who cheer. At one school, the superintendent interrupted last month's graduation to order police to remove a woman from the gymnasium.
“It's an important, solemn occasion. There's plenty of time for celebration before and after,” said Clarke Campbell, president of the Indianapolis school board.
30 comments:
I agree with Trent, one of the graduates. No one knows who did the yelling. Why should the graduates be blamed for what someone in the audience did. If the yelling came from the those walking across the stage, then yes they deserve some form of punishment, but if it came from the audience, they shouldn't have to suffer the consequences.
Come on....Cheering at High School graduation ?
First of all, a high school degree means nothing, so why cheer.
Second, have some class. If you score a touchdown, act like you have been in the end zone before !
I'm glad someone is finally taking steps to regain some kind of decorum towards graduation exercises.
I think this is totaly rediculous. GIVE the students their DIPLOMA'S. THEY earned it! They went to school and made the grades for it. They can not help what the audience does or does not do! This is so unspeakable for the school to do this. What kind of message or you sending?
The cultural quality of American has been on the decline for over 40 years. We acce pt political opinions from entertainers and give media coverage to millionaire whores' and the illigetimate children of drug abusing, "trailer trash" strippers who com 95 year old billionaires into marriage.
Now when the tribal whooping and shouting of people who have signed contracts not to do so get attention they play that worn out race card. Well yes, it is racial but only because their uncontrolled behavior consistantly lacks the dignity that a graduation ceremony deserves. We had the same disturbance at my daughters college graduation to the point that the ceremony was stopped and the members of the audience who were consistantly causing the problem (all negroe)were politely asked to hold their applause until the end of the ceremony. This had to be done three times and these people just would not show respect to the occassion or the other graduates. I agree with the Galesburg school board's position. Perhaps (but not likely)in the future parents and relatives will learn to conduct themselves with more respect and control.
5 people lose their diplomas on the actions of others. interesting. so, why not give diplomas to drops outs becuse of the earned actions of those who graduate or give a speeding ticket to the passenger, whose in the car instead of the offending driver; makes about as much sence. If the 5 students were acting dignified, then punish the offenders. let the ones who did the crime pay the time 150 miles away, which is overexcessive, If their town was offended the pay the crime in their own town, not some place else, thats not going to show others in the offended town, what is going to happen if they act unruly in public. Its like 200ys ago, putting a person in stocks in Williamsburg for something the did in Salem.
4 years with above 3pt average is something to celebrate and the emotional public denounement, humiliation and physcological imprint for these 5 people isn't going to help them in the future. what it will do is build a resentment & disrespect for adminstrative authorities.
What is the school saying to these people really. Work hard to be a good product of society, Learn so that you can continue and give back to a productive society. but if you can't control others within their social relm then you will be chastised.
If Abuse is identified by 6 factors: Mental, Emotional, Physcological, Physical, Financial, Isolation, Sexual; then the school has use 3 of the 6 on these children. How is that productive for their future. These children didn't do the crime. Make the offenders (ALL RACES) pay the time to learn to harnness their excitment & to respect their own and the others in their community. You Can't teach respect if you can't give proper respect and by chastizing inoccents isn't going to teach offenders anything but anger.
There is low class and no class, and the people who think making a disruption at a graduation are in one or the other. The kids should not suffer but it should be standard practice that if you do this, the event stops, you are removed (by force if necessary) and then the event can proceed. Personally, I think it just goes to show that the kid crossing the stage is the only bright (or is at least the brightest) of the whole mess of morons. How sad that they do not even want to appear better.
I agree with the reason the policy was made, but the students shouldn't be the ones being punished. Give them their diplomas and give the parents the citations and community service.
It just shows how backward our system is. Then if the students don't go to school, (skipping, etc.) the parents are the ones who go to jail. Again, it's the student who should be going to juvenile. Where's the common sense?
Punish the offenders, not the graduates!
Bravo for the school district!
What kind of lesson is a child to learn from this nonsensical, authoritarian response? That even if he performs his duties in excellence every day for four long years, it can be negated in the space of five minutes, by the actions of others over which he has no control?
What power does the graduating student have that the school administrators do not have to control the crowd? The ACLU spokesman should remember that the school's ability to control the "decorum" at an event does not extend further than the boundaries of each individual's civil rights. That means the school must confine their actions to the persons that are in violation of the rules, and does not somehow magically transfer individual responsibility for someone else's actions to the student they cheer for.
Apply that skewed logic to other situations, and it quickly becomes clear just how idiotic the school's position is.
For example, at the next school board meeting, the superintendent rises to give a short speech. Every time he makes a good point, three citizens in the back of the room cheer and whistle loudly. So the local policeman in attendance grabs the superintendent by the arm and escorts him out of the building for disrupting the meeting.
Does that sound at all sensible to anyone with a pulse and the mental capacity of an eight year-old?
Or imagine what would happen at the next presidential debate in which the moderator, having asked the audience to hold its applause until the end of the debate, expelled one of the candidates because the crowd cheered at an especially good one-liner. The moderator would be considered extremely fortunate if he managed to avoid tar and feathering!
The bottom line is that most of the young people graduating are over 18, and considered adults with the full compliment of rights belonging to adults, in the eyes of the law. The school administrators, being accustomed to imposing their arbitrary will on children who are not considered to be endowed with the full set of rights that comes with adulthood, are showing just how arbitrary that power can be when it is wielded by authoritarians without conscience. They might get away with it in the classroom where children are subject to that arbitrary power, but the adults that walk across the stage, having earned the right to their diplomas, have also earned the right to never again be subject to the whim of arbitrary power.
They should exercise that right, and demand that they receive the diplomas they have earned, teaching the "educators" a lesson in the personal humility endemic to a free society.
There's no question that graduation ceremonies have become jokes. Since the parents & students in Galesburg had been warned and apparently agreed to behave in a more dignified manner, it seems fair that the agreement was enforced. And I just don't buy that it was a racial issue. What, is everything a racial issue?
i agree with the school board. the parents, teachers, and others who attended the grafduation were warned ahead of time about the concequences and like most people today they thought "it doesn't apply to me" to many people think that they dont have to abide by the rules. it is becoming an "all about me" society.
This is absolutely ridiculous that these kids were denied their diplomas. They have worked 13 years to get where they are and some with high honors. They and their families have a right to cheer their accomplishments!!! How dare you school officials do this to them!! This whole society is getting out of whack any more. If I were these parents,I would raise holy heck and even maybe sue for pain and suffering.
Graduation ceremonies are important occasions shared by many students, which calls for a certain display of dignity by the audience during commencement exercises so each graduate can be celebrated accordingly. However, I cannot condone withholding diplomas from worthy students particularly when they have no control over an audience's behavior. The principal is arrogrant to think that punishing hardworking students is an appropriate rememdy for audience misconduct. The principal, who is obviously lacking reasoning skills, should learn to better handle such dilemmas. Public relations is part of his job, and he needs to become adept at it.
I think it is criminal. These students are being punished for something they had no control over. It sounds like a policy that is not enforceable and unfair. Challenge them in court. You will prevail.
I feel it is unfair to the students who work so hard so long and stayed in school. Kids today have to put up with so much, homework, kids threats, fighting, teachers rude remarks.There is so many drop outs, that the school should be ashamed of itself for pulling their diplomas. Give them their diplomas that they deserve, and make the people who interupted the graduation, do the community service.
PLEASE................THESE PEOPLE HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO THAN DENY THESE CHILDREN DIPLOMA'S? TELL THEM TO GO OUT AND GET A LIFE, GIVE THEM THEIR DIPLOMA'S AND QUIT TRYING TO PROVE WHO'S THE BIGGER HORSE'S BEHIND. THE BELMONT IS RUNNING TODAY, MAYBE THEY SHOULD LOOK AT THE RACE FROM BEHIND TO SEE WHAT THEY ALL LOOK LIKE FOR BEING SO FOOLISH.
And here we go again. Did anyone read or know about the white couple that lived in Tenn. and were car jacked? The man, age 20ish was raped, had his penis cut off and shot while his girlfriend watched. Then, the girl 20ish was raped by 4 black men and 1 black woman repeatedly for 4 days, urinated on, had her breast cut off and them had chemicals poured down her throat and was murdered. The perps were black, the victums were white...don't see any articles nor new media about this. Give me a brake today. This country has got to get real with their issues.
I am absolutely offended that the school has students and parents sign contracts prior to graduation stating they will not be noisy or disruptive. Please it's the students and the students parents day. I cheered so loud when my daughter graduated, I was relieved she had completed all her credits and actually earned a diploma!
Almost the same thing happened to me at my high school graduation. We were warned that if we (the graduates) didn't act dignified at graduation, we would be denied our diplomas. I was homecoming queen and salutatorian and was pretty popular in HS. When It came time to give my speech, the class went crazy as I walked up to the stage and nearly 1/4 of the students didn't receive their diplomas as a result, including myself.
If it weren't for an angry mob of parents that visited the dean and principal the day after graduation, we wouldn't have received out diplomas at all. I think its much too harsh a punishment for a bunch of high school kids. I couldn't control the class as they cheered as I'm sure none of those students could have controlled the crowd as they cheered. It was ridiculous then and its ridiculous now.
I say give the kids their diploma and stop the nonsense. Its a happy occasion, people should be allowed to express their joy.
I'm sorry, but I don't see the issue with a few joyful shouts.
When my daughter graduated HS last year I did the same thing. She over tremendous economic and emotional diversity to to graduate witha 4.2 GPA.
It was such an emotional moment for all of us. How do you "sit" on something like that?!?!?
How pathetic is that? What next putting tape over there mouths and tying there hands behind there backs to avoid any as the say not to act in a undignified way .Sounds like uptight school officials overstepping there authority.live a little and stop being such tight asses.
Where the hell did you all come from ? I've never had so many comments :)
I noticed this story is on AOL, but there ain't a link to here ?
Thanks anyway, especially those of you with names :)
This is very simple. Prior to the event, participants were warned of the consequences. The attendees of this event clearly did not uphold their responsibility in celebrating an important occasion. This was not a state championship football game! It is an occasion that demands an unspoken expectation of respect to EVERYONE attending.For crying out loud, would they act this way at a funeral? It is an arrogant and common trend in our society that certain individuals have a sense of entitlement,defying clear expectations for behavior,totally disregarding "rules", then grabbing at whatever protection they think will benefit their cause and taking shelter under those "rules".( Ie. we chose to break the rules for graduation, but now we want someone to fight for us because we feel persecuted.. and THAT breaks the rules of how WE should be treated) Why would an appeal even be an option? These parents/family members broke the agreement. How does that entitle them to any further consideration?
We often are led to believe that we have "public schools."
Here is another case in point where enthusiasm and joy are robbed by a government operated and controlled institution.
The administration at this Galesburg, IL institution must be more creative and inventive if they are ever going to identify with their community and earn the right to become a "public school."
i GRADUATED IN 1969 MY DIPLOMA WAS BEING WITH HELD BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE A CAP & GOWN TO TURN IN. THIS WAS THE RESULT OF THE FACT I WAS GOING TO BE IN BASIC TRAINING FOR THE ARMED SERVICE ON GRADUATION DAY ,BUT BASIC TRAINING WAS DELAYED. MY CAP & GOWN FEE WERE PAID BUT THEY INSISTED THAT I HAD TO HAVE ONE TO TURN IN TO GET MY DIPLOMA. IT TOOK THE SCHOOL BOARD CHAIRMAN TO GET MY DIPLOMA RELEASED . BURACRACY AND POWER ABUSE IS ETERNAL.
dom, your right it is on AOL and there is a link, kinda hidden but it is there. goodluck!
My son recently graduated and the audience was warned against the use of air horns and making noise in general. He was in a class of 500+ students and the ceremony was held at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, FL. I can assure you that I was a very frustrated parent because of the lack of respect shown by those in the audience. There were thousands of people in attendance and the noise was deafening. I never was able to hear my son's name announced because the name that proceeded his caused an uproar of screaming and the shrill screach of air horns from his friends and family members. It's too bad that our society is unable to follow the guidelines. However, I don't think it would be fair for that child to not receive his diploma. He earned it, he deserved it and he didn't do anything to warrant punishment. He had no control over the actions of others.
I really have to wonder who is in charge in this situation. What are these people thinking?
You work hard, you put your child through school, you encourage them to do their best, make an effort to reach higher.
This sounds like a case of someone who has an over exaggerated sense of self importance on a power trip. These children have just accomplished something very important to them and their friends and families. This is about the success that these families have made. Keep your decorum. Some of these children have beat the odds and their families are overjoyed to see them make this step.
School Board members need to remember what this is really about. What their job's are really about. It is about the children not their egos.
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