Ill. students lose diplomas over cheers

Can you believe this? This is a load of bull.... My oldest graduated 8th grade last month. Zachary came home the night of graduation and said the school don't want anyone to cheer. Well when Zachary's name was called Jim's family gave him a standing ovation(sp) My sil said "The Fleshners are in town" They don't know us.:happy1:The staff made the comment to Zachary after graduation. "Looks like you brought your fan club with you":woohooo:

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By JAN DENNIS, Associated Press Writer Fri Jun 1, 2:57 PM ET


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.

WHAT?!?!?!? They go through 13 years of school and can't whoop and holler for joy at their accomplishments???? That is TOO MUCH!!!!!!! I screamed the loudest when my first 2 graduated and I will scream even louder when the youngest graduates next year!!! School is a hard thing to endure, so much social pressure and academics, by golly, you bet I'm going to be jumping for joy!!! :woohooo:

That's silly.

They can just wait until the crowd quiets down before reading the next name.

Might take a little longer...but people can just sit on it and be patient...after all, it took them 4 years to get through high school...I think folks can sit for a few minutes in between students while each student earns his or her due.

How dumb! I can see why they'd want to hold the applause and shouting until the end but it's a graduation! You're supposed to celebrate and be happy!

I read that in the paper today. That's nuts. I can understand the "no whooping" rule if it's a really large school, but I don't think that was that large of a school. Doh, I see that it says that in the article above. oops!

They have to do eight hours of public service to get their diplomas! Why don't they have the whoopers do the eight hours of public service? :b

Savannah wrote:

I can see how some people would be annoyed if the whooping & hollering went on and on and on...... But, to deny the student their diploma over it is really unfair. The students have no control over the behavior of another human being. After all of those years, all of the hard work, people are going to be pretty excited. Seems like they could work out a better compromise than such a hard-line tactic as that.

This is how I feel, Savannah. I'm not for the whooping and hollering. I've recently 'endured' two graduation ceremonies. One was my son's high school (he's got one more year, but plays in the band, so I go every year)...their's was your 'general' applause/cheer/name shout....all perfectly fine, IMHO. Then I went to my niece's high school graduation, and it was utterly ridiculous. This was major heavy duty whooping, hollering, crazy insane cheering...sorry, but there's a difference between the two...one is 'dignified' cheering, the other is completely undignified for a ceremony. This is JMO...you all are entitled to your own opinion...I'm just speaking from the recent experience of having witnessed both within the last two weeks. The kids at the first graduation totally felt honored and worthy and appreciated by their parents and loved ones, without the 'manic' cheering. The other school had kids strutting across the stage, slowly and deliberately, 'egging on' the audience and taking even more of their 'moment' than necessary, while all of us were suffering in a hot, humid auditorium! I don't blame the schools a bit for wanting to try to control this latest 'rage' at some high school graduations, but I'm agreeing, Savannah, that there just has to be another way than preventing the poor kid from receiving his or her diploma! Maybe just a formal letter going out to every parent, requesting to keep the cheering to a minimum? I'm sure some people will ignore it, but if a legitimate reason is stated, I think many people would understand and tone it down a bit.

I agree.... some cheering does get out of hand.
At the last Junior high graduation I went to, some parents were upset because they did not hear their son's name called out because of the screaming for the student before him....

I went to a graduation ceremony where that insane hollering was going on. Not a pleasant experience.