Posted on 06/01/2007 12:03:25 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
GALESBURG, Ill. - 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.
In Galesburg, the issue has taken on added controversy with accusations that the students were targeted because of their race: four are black and one is Hispanic. Parents say cheers also erupted for white students, and none of them was denied a diploma.
Principal Tom Chiles said administrators who monitored the more than 2,000-seat auditorium reported only disruptions they considered "significant," and all turned in the same five names.
"Race had absolutely nothing to do with it whatsoever," Chiles said. "It is the amount of disruption at the time of the incident."
School officials said they will hear students and parents out if they appeal. Meanwhile, the school said the five students can still get their diplomas by completing eight hours of public service work, answering phones, sorting books or doing other chores for the district, situated about 150 miles southwest of Chicago.
Gayles' mother said she plans to fight the school board — in court if necessary — to get her daughter's diploma. The noise "was like three seconds. It was like, `Yay,' and that was it," Carolyn Gayles said.
American Civil Liberties Union spokesman Edward Yohnka said Galesburg's policy raises no red flags as long as it is enforced equitably. "It's probably well within the school's ability to control the decorum at an event like this," he said.
Another student who was denied her diploma, Nadia Trent, said she will probably let the school keep it if her appeals fail.
"It's not fair. Somebody could not like me and just decide to yell to get me in trouble. I can't control everyone, just the ones I gave tickets to," Trent said.
Back in 1994 I attended a friend's graduation and there was a similar disruption. The principal had to go to the podium and forcefully remind everyone that this was not a sporting event and that the jerks in the crowd had to quiet down.
These are students of color. We should all be cheering that they completed high school. With all the pressure on these kids to not "act white", they've truly accomplished something that their loved ones have a right to be proud of.
Well, yes, sort of. It's not that not getting cheered is hurtful to others; but rather, that the asshats who whoop and holler at events like this are ruining it for everybody else.
It's not "free speech" that's at issue, it's just manners. People used to understand good manners -- more and more people these days do not.
When I graduated from college, I ORDERED my parents and girlfriend not to cheer for me. So they didn’t.
Afterwards, one of my favorite profs said that she felt bad for me because I didn’t get any cheers.
APf
“With all the pressure on these kids to not “act white”, they’ve truly accomplished something that their loved ones have a right to be proud of.”
Graduation from high school is important but in the scheme of things its not that major. Pretty much all kids have to do is show up and they graduate. Perhaps that accounts for a major life event in some places though.
In the local area some parents have ceremonies for kids completing 6th grade. They even hire stretch limo’s to cart their kid away from grade school. I’m sure the kids have healthy self esteem though.
True and the parents are also an embarrassment when they hoot and holler. I don’t know if holding one’s applause is feasible but a polite smatter from the relations is fine.
Unfortunately, some folks (I’ll leave it to your imagination) think it’s halftime at a football game and act accordingly.
in a small number scenario, sounds OK to me. I was curious as to is there a certain number of grads names to be read that it might be more tolerable as well..
air horns and whoops is a bit much tho.. a clap or two sounds reasonable to me.. from what is provided here, one can’t speak to how acoustics might have come into play also.
That’s just their culture.................................
Something similar happened at a recent high school graduation in the Chicago suburbs. A local high school locks its doors exactly 5 minutes before the ceremony begins, with no exceptions. They’ve been doing it for several years; everyone knows about it, and both grads and their families are reminded of the policy. Still, several graduates and family members were locked out this year. They were interviewed by the local news and were highly indignant. Everyone interviewed was either black or hispanic.
“It’s bad form to withold diplomas for cheering and even seems like a violation of free speech. Regardless who’s hiring Nazis to hand out diplomas anyway?”
I disagree. I’ve been to several graduations and over the last several years they have become a joke as far as dignity and formality go. Many people literally act like idiots during the proceedings to the point that you can’t hear what is going on. Air horns, yelling out names, whistles, and constant talking during the ceremony by audience members are the norm for most school graduations - and even in formal orchestra or choral concerts. No one is taught decorum anymore - it’s considered “elitist” by many. There is a time for cheering out loud and there is also a time for quiet formality. Unfortuately most people do not know the difference.
I’m not sure that withholding the students diplomas forever is the proper course - maybe just for the graduation ceremony itself - then mailing it later to the family. The only hook the school has is that diploma. If they don’t enforce it, the behavior will never change. I guarantee that next year, they won’t have this same problem.
That would be mmean. Funny but mean.
Try doing it only for children of school employees ;)
I would withhold it for a stipulated period, say six months or a year.
No maybe people should follow the rules instead of acting like animals.
That would be far more fair than not giving these graduates what they earned because of the actions of others.
If the people cheering really are disruptive, have them removed. However, unless the graduate is acting disruptive, the school has no justification to punish them.
If they can't figure out that it isn't reasonable to punish someone for the actions of others, then they have no business administrating a public school. Fire them.
I thought they wanted to be like us.
This even happens at Catholic Schools, and the way our older sons' school handled it was to put the Graduation Ceremony immediately following Mass. They STILL have to make the announcement, before it starts, to hold the applause until ALL have received their diplomas, and even then, there will be some who will not do as requested.
That announcement WASN'T made at our son's law school graduation, and you can be sure that SirKit and I cheered for him when he went up to get that diploma!
There is very little dignity anymore, and in fact, dignity and class is ridiculed as being "uptight".
Nazis are in control of the schools. It is totally unacceptable to punish an individual for uncoerced actions performed by another person.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.