Student Denied Diploma After Blowing Kiss

Fox 5 News ^ | June 16, 2009 | Staff

[politicalmerc]

STANDISH, Maine -- Justin Denney's family watched as he ascended the Cumberland County Civic Center stage during graduation Friday night to accept his diploma, but the superintendent told him to return to his seat. The Bonny Eagle High School senior's mother said she can't believe her son's taking a bow and blowing a kiss on stage led was grounds for the superintendent to withhold his diploma. Mary Denney wants an apology, and her son wants his diploma, reported WMTW-TV in Portland, Maine. "I'm like, 'Did she not hand him his diploma?' I'm like, 'What's going on?'" Mary Denney said.

[PoliticalDookie]

How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?

[TCats]

Narcissistic is the Keyword. These kids are told from day one that they are special and deserving of all the attention they can garner. And that their needs and wants trump those of anyone else. The whole Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and on and on feeds this thing to the point that everyone thinks everyone else has the obligation to see just how unique they are - And how ‘Cutting Edge’ they can be about the rules.

An Age of Narcissistic Sociopaths has been pawned IMO.

[Mr_Moonlight]

Why can’t the little dear just climb the steps, walk decorously, play his part and receive his reward? Why does everyone have to be a celebrity?

Because it's a monumentous event in a young person's life, graduating High School, eager to launch into the real world, and simply because he *can* as an American (remember "Liberty"?) ... whatever ... why does it have to be a stiff-shirt affair according to you?

[Houghton M.]

And so we’re going to sit around arguing over which particular narcissistic act is under the top and which over the top?

A public ceremony is for the whole. When individuals start trying to make the ceremony about ME ME ME ME ME ME, they take advantage of their classmates who don’t flaunt themselves. If everybody flaunts herself, we have chaos. This kid’s stunt only works if he can assume that enough of the rest of the class will follow the rules.

I hate that kind of self-centered narcissism. And hating it is a conservative, traditional way of looking at life. How do you think we got into the mess we are in except by people insisting on being left alone to do their narcissistic little numbers when and wherever they please.

The kid will get his diploma eventually, I’m sure. A little tough love by delaying it to drive home the point is the best thing that could happen to him. Obviously his mother is a narcissist herself and she’s raised a jerk.

But go ahead, weep tears of sorrow for the poor little dear’s hurt feelings. That’s what he really needs, a million Mommies out there crying on his behalf. That’ll help him man up real fast.

[CORedneck]

Not necessarily your paycheck, can ding you on your performance review. One manager got on my case on parking my old pickup truck by the front door. Him and the building executive. There was no written rule or sign that said that old vehicles had to be parked far away.

I guess if your boss didn’t like the car you drove to work, he should withhold your paycheck until you get a “greener” one.

[presently no screen name]

Did the kids w/the beach balls get their diploma or was this guy the scapegoat? His actions were not mischievous, IMO.

[Mr_Moonlight]

How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?

Touche! Good one, PD :)

[Pontiac]

"There was no misbehavior. Showboating is not misbehavior," Mary Denney said. "A bow, a kiss to your mom is not misbehavior. There was no need of my son not getting his diploma."

Well mom what about this?

“No arrests were made," Cumberland County Sheriff's Department Deputy Chief Kevin Joyce said. "The individual that was escorted off the stage was asked to leave the civic center. He was to the point where the deputy was starting to get to the point where he wanted to arrest the individual, but gave him several opportunities to settle down. Eventually, he took off his cap and gown and threw it at the deputy and walked out the civic center."

He had to be escorted off the stage. The superintendent asked him to sit down but he had to have a deputy escort him off the stage and had to be shown out of the building.

There has to be some history here, if not with this student in particular, with graduation ceremonies at this high school.

I will have to stand with the superintendent on this one. Discipline and decorum at high schools have been pretty low at high schools for several decades. It is long past time that kids learn that childish behavior has its place and time. Graduation ceremonies are not the place or the time.

The kid should get his diploma unceremoniously in the mail.

Next year the school should have a mandatory meeting with graduating seniors where it is explained that no demonstrations by students or parents will be tolerated. The ceremony will be as rehearsed or the offender will be escorted out of the hall and not readmitted.

[Talisker]

...every darn one of these ceremonies ...narcissistic displays ...nitwits like this boob ...flout the rules ...prolong the agony ...the little dear ...his stupid diploma ...hasn’t yet learned his lesson ...doesn’t deserve his diploma—yet.

Really, really excellent outrage amplification spin. You should get a shill award for your efforts, or at least a bonus from your employer. Besides your abusive conceptual rape of the outrageously disrespectful integrity rape of this student, I especially note your steady use of the quoted disgusted and insulting, demeaning terms, rising at the end of your trashtalk to a sneering spit. Really excellent use of the technique - I hope other shills are noting this.

Congratulations - amongst the lowest of the low, you're the one who accepts money to be the garbage they step on.

[Houghton M.]

Because the ceremony does not belong to him alone. It belongs to everyone taking part in it.

If you were getting married and one of the bridesmaids decided she didn’t have to follow the script but could pull this or that stunt so the attention would be on her, would it be “stiff-shirt” to say that she was self-centered?

Ceremonies have a real function in culture. Cultures that have no formal ceremonies in which the individual subordinates himself to the society’s rituals are cultures that will fall apart.

We used to have countless rites of passage in which we tested people for their loyalty, their willingess to play their role as assigned.

But toss out a negative label (stuffed shirt) and you’ve solved it. I wouldn’t care if the script for a graduation included face-painting and bubble-blowing as long as the whole group agreed in advance on what the procedures would be and everyone played their agreed-upon roles. MY OBJECTION HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH STUFFED SHIRTS. It’s about being a member of the group and playing one’s agreed-upon role. He knew the rules, why does he have to be so preciously stand-out? What would be wrong with doing what he was asked to do?

[tioga]

I disagree........on stage before the families of these students the superintendent lost it.......she needs to go. and these families elect the school board that hires and fires her.......bye, bye!

[Houghton M.]

Uh, do you have anything substantive to say or do you just shout sh’t?

[Shimmer1]

I know, it’s narcissistic, but they outgrow it! A little narcissism isn’t so bad, as long as it’s steered away from, but taking his diploma is more like hitting a fly with a hammer.

[Mr_Moonlight]

(should have done that after he was handed the diploma)

Hahahahahaa, yeah his timing was off a bit. Could ya imagine the wild scene that would follow if he blew the kiss *after* getting the sheepskin? /laugh

Principal (as the kid runs away): HEY, YOU JUST BROKE THE RULES ... NOW GIVE THAT DIPLOMA BACK! I DEMAND IT!

Kid: Nyahh Nyann NYAAA ...

(Security convenes on the kid and tackles him, ripping the diploma from his hands)

[presently no screen name]

Well mom what about this? “No arrests were made," Cumberland .....

You might want to read it again - I believe they were talking about another student - not the one that didn't get his diploma.