Petal Graduation Hold your Applause Please

[noway]

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060605/OPINION01/606050314/1014/NEWS17

Because of it, my sister's graduation moment has been ruined and she will never get that back. Your decisions have a huge impact on our young people's lives and I feel confident that you came into this profession with that goal in mind, but because of your lack of forethought you deeply hurt at least one student and countless others that may not have spoken up.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060606/NEWS01/606060304/1002

"I am not going to apologize to these people for trying to have a ceremony that is respectful and stands for what these kids have worked for 13 years," Principal Jack Linton said. "I am not going to apologize to anyone who wants to come up here and raise Cain and make a fool of themselves. Part of what we're doing in school is to teach kids respect. This is not a pep rally."


"I have never heard it that bad," Linton said. "There were air horns blowing, people continually talking throughout the ceremony ... they were doing everything but turning handstands in the seats."

[fuzzis]

I remember when I was in choir in high school, before we went to a competition or before a concert, Ma Bean our director always said the same thing..."This is not a basketball game. This is not a football game. You do not hoot. You do not holler. You will clap politely and comport yourself in a manner that shows you know how to behave appropriately."

I used to tell my students the same things before we went to any type of public performance, and I would consider a graduation *ceremony* to be one of places where you conduct yourself appropriately.

fuzzis

[aaron]

The speaker should control these things. He shouldn't call a name if people are cheering for someone else and if the entire crowd is talking, I would give a warning, I would stop, sit down, and wait for them to stop talking. I don't think your going to stop people from "hooting and hollering" in Mississippi.

[Conveyor Belt]

In my 4 years performing at Petal High graduations from 1993-1996, I never heard an airhorn go off... of course, those things are more prevelant than they once were.

It simply comes down to the fact that some people respect the rules and don't do the raucus cheering, and some do it anyhow. Incidentally, none of the top 25% are cheered for... it's always the one's that are toward the bottom of the class that are cheered the most. I guess for them, it truly is a celebration. I, personally, would have prefered the option to not have to attend my HS graduation. It's stupid to me and 1/2 the kids there. They're going on to college, and the graduation is just one more thing they have to do. A lot of colleges don't make you attend graduation ceremony to get your degree. It's just not THAT important.

[justme]

ok people- here is the bottom line...

ACT LIKE YOU HAVE SOME " upbringing"

enough said

[Conveyor Belt]

What you have to understand, is that for some people, that IS their upbringing.

[citygirl]

I attended a graduation at North Forrest and the principal informed the audience that shout outs would not be tolerated and that anyone doing it would be asked to leave. Well, did the shoutouts happen? Absolutely! Was anyone asked to leave? Absolutely not! I do agree it's a shame for people to act that way. I feel for the other kids, those that might not have anyone show up for them. It does happen!!! Hopefully not very often but hey, how do they feel knowing there's noone out there rooting for them? People should be more considerate!!!

[fuzzis]

I attended a graduation at North Forrest and the principal informed the audience that shout outs would not be tolerated and that anyone doing it would be asked to leave. Well, did the shoutouts happen? Absolutely! Was anyone asked to leave? Absolutely not!

That would be part of the problem with many parents and teachers in this country. There are no consequences and words don't mean anything without them.

fuzzis

[Lylabean]

I agree with Aaron..what's wrong waiting a few seconds to announce the next name? This always totally aggrevated me at graduations where there would be cheering for one student and then the next name is announced without waiting and you miss it. They act like they have to rush through it..here's a novel thought..take less time with the commencement speaker and spend a little more time on handing out diplomas..that's all anyone cares about anyway.

[fuzzis]

Because if you begin waiting until the rude people shut up, god knows how long you're going to be waiting. How long is acceptable? Three seconds? Five seconds? Ten? Thirty?

It's kinda like rewarding negative behavior.

fuzzis

[Tommy9854]

Adolf Hitler, I mean Jack Linton is a joke.........Don't forget to tuck your shirts in!! You might get arrested if you don't!

It's a graduation. True. But your going to have people clapping and screaming when they hear their friends and family members' names called out. There WERE air horns that went off........But, NOBODY was "jumping up and down".. Only people standing up, clapping and yelling and then SITTING back down before the next name was called........What's the harm in that? They shut up in time for the next person to be called and everybody heard their name. Linton, like most of the time when it comes to dealing with issues, blows it WAY out of porportion.

This isn't freaking boot camp for crying out loud.

[Tommy9854]

Because if you begin waiting until the rude people shut up, god knows how long you're going to be waiting. How long is acceptable? Three seconds? Five seconds? Ten? Thirty?

It's kinda like rewarding negative behavior.

fuzzis

Actually, the longest part of Petal's graduation was them walking out and sitting down one by one, not the calling of the names, which had decent time intervals in between.

[Tommy9854]

Actually Jack Linton, who I had the honor of working with for 10 years, is EXACTLY the type of principal we need today: one who will uphold school rules and policies consistently no matter who you are, who your daddy is, or how much money you have in the bank.

To an extent, yes.

But you see what happens when he takes a not so big problem and makes it big.....it's all in the newspaper. For what reason?

[Susan from H'burg]

Tommy is right; Linton is a JERK. He is on a power trip and loves to make mountains out of molehills. There is nothing wrong with showing your child that you support him or her and are proud of his/her accomplishments. I have not heard airhorns at Petal's graduations either; that is ridiculous. You will always have people who go a little too far, but it's not right to penalize everyone because of a few. And I think that threatening to withhold diplomas is out of line; is that even legal? I know it is unreasonable, but as Linton is so unreasonable himself, that is not surprising. If I choose to clap and show my child support in a public place, I will do so

[Tommy9854]

As someone who has had the unfortunately experience of sitting through more graduations than most people (over 30 now), and continue to sit through them today (UGH), I can tell you that if there was outrageous cheering throughout, it would take 5 hours to go through 150 graduates, not to mention cover up the names of many graduates with noise.

When I hear people yell out in graduation ceremonies, I think "tacky tacky tacky."

And Jack Linton is one of the best principals in this state bar none. The proof is in the pudding. Everything at Petal High School is done with excellence.Everything at Petal High School is done with excellence? You must not have been there very recently.

[Joelaw]

Unless Jack Linton has changed a lot sense the time I graduated I don’t see what the problem is. When I was in school he would let you have your fun as long as you did not take it too far ( he was the assistant principal back then ) but that is the problem with a lot of kids these days in my opinion ( and this comes from their family ) they don’t know when to draw the line. Its all about the one up-men ship, if you clap I’m gong to clap and yell. If you clap and yell I’m gong to clap, yell and jump up and down. If you clap yell and jump up and down I’m gonna use an air horn.


one up-men ship its like drinking know when to say when.

[fuzzis]

This isn't freaking boot camp for crying out loud.

No, it's not boot camp, but it's also NOT an event where such behavior should be acceptable. As one of the "liberal" members of the site, I think I'm pretty laid back about most things, but some things should be more *formal*. A graduation ceremony is one of those things. If you want to "celebrate" and "honor" by screaming and yelling, then do that at home.

fuzzis

[noway]

I have known Jack Linton for 20 years and he is a very good adminstrator. This is not really a big deal.. Do you honestly remember hearing your name called out? Do you remember who was in attendance at your graduation? Go Panthers!!!

[Neenytwo]

When I graduated in 1993 there was cheering for the graduates but only briefly. Your family cheered and then the next name was called. This is a big deal for graduates - some of whom really worked hard to make it to graduation day. We clap and cheer when our children blow out birthday candles - graduation is a huge deal and I think there is an appropriate way to cheer and an unappropriate but all should not be punished for ones mistake.

[Neenytwo]

Go Panthers!!!

I think it was more like "GO PEENTHERS"

[Ande']

There are a lot of rules at schools these days that you don't understand or think are stupid while you are there, but once you are removed for a few years and mature (or become a parent yourself) you begin to understand them. Some one posted earlier about tucking in your shirt. That has become the norm at some schools not only because it makes our kids look better but also because of weapons and drugs. I graduated in 1996 from FCAHS and it was a huge deal when they passed the rule that no guns could be brought on campus. A lot of guys would go hunting before shcool and would have their shot guns in their trucks. Everyone thought it was soooo stupid, but now with all the school shootings....not so stupid.

At our graduation they asked that you hold your applause. Of course some did and some didn't. No matter what is said it will always be that way. I understand wanting to show your child that you support them, but for the few that carry it so far; is it really about showing your child that you support them or about showing everyone else that you support your child?

[Tommy9854]

There are a lot of rules at schools these days that you don't understand or think are stupid while you are there, but once you are removed for a few years and mature (or become a parent yourself) you begin to understand them. Some one posted earlier about tucking in your shirt. That has become the norm at some schools not only because it makes our kids look better but also because of weapons and drugs. I graduated in 1996 from FCAHS and it was a huge deal when they passed the rule that no guns could be brought on campus. A lot of guys would go hunting before shcool and would have their shot guns in their trucks. Everyone thought it was soooo stupid, but now with all the school shootings....not so stupid.


That is NOT the reason Linton makes the students tuck in their shirts. A few years ago, he wouldn't allow students to wear freaking FLIP FLOPS......Like I said, he is known to blow things out of porportion.

[Tommy9854]

You sound pretty bitter Tommy. I'm wondering if you had to sit in Mr. Linton's office a few times in your youth. Hmmmm.... :smt102
Making assumptions without knowing isn't a very good thing to do.

If you really want to know, I was in his office on average of zero times a year.

[fuzzis]

That is NOT the reason Linton makes the students tuck in their shirts. A few years ago, he wouldn't allow students to wear freaking FLIP FLOPS......Like I said, he is known to blow things out of porportion.

Ummmm...students at my school weren't allowed to wear flipflops either. There is a safety and liability issue. I never thought it was a big deal, but our nurse was pretty adamant about it because of student foot injuries.

Many things happen in schools that outsiders don't understand. Until you've been an administrator (or a teacher) and had to deal with such, you really are not qualified to determine what is blown out of proportion.

fuzzis

[Tommy9854]

And yet you are so angry...

Oh, and I didn't assume...I wondered...

You have apparently ASSUMED, yet again, that i was/am angry, when in fact all im doing is posting facts.

[Tommy9854]

Ummmm...students at my school weren't allowed to wear flipflops either. There is a safety and liability issue. I never thought it was a big deal, but our nurse was pretty adamant about it because of student foot injuries.

Many things happen in schools that outsiders don't understand. Until you've been an administrator (or a teacher) and had to deal with such, you really are not qualified to determine what is blown out of proportion.

fuzzis50% of it might have been for safety, the other 50% was because it wasn't "professional"

Another example of Mr. Wonderful Principle of the Millenium Linton blowing things out of porprotion: The "holy" jeans. If a girl....or guy, had on a pair of jeans with a hole in them, didn't even have to show skin, then they had to put a piece of tape on the hole to cover it up, because it is considered a "distraction"........Now, you tell me what is more of a distraction, somebody with a SMALL hole on their pants, that doesn't even show skin, or a huge piece of masking tape covering it up?

[Tommy9854]

Actually you are simply posting your opinion with some ornamental facts scattered here and there to lend some sort of credence to your opinion.

Other than the FIRST post posted with Mr. Linton in it, where have I not posted just facts? Show me 3.

[Tommy9854]

Hey Tommy, here's a mole hill...mind making it a mountain for me?

Wait, I'm blowing things out of porportion by showing examples of Mr. Linton's "policies"? Hmm, interesting.

[fuzzis]

50% of it might have been for safety, the other 50% was because it wasn't "professional"

Another example of Mr. Wonderful Principle of the Millenium Linton blowing things out of porprotion: The "holy" jeans. If a girl....or guy, had on a pair of jeans with a hole in them, didn't even have to show skin, then they had to put a piece of tape on the hole to cover it up, because it is considered a "distraction"........Now, you tell me what is more of a distraction, somebody with a SMALL hole on their pants, that doesn't even show skin, or a huge piece of masking tape covering it up?

He's the administrator; he gets to make those decisions, and he has reasons for them. Kind of like the boss on a job.

My entire school district decided no tank-tops period because it was taking too much time and energy away from education to decide which tank tops had straps wide enough to be considered appropriate.

Like I said...if you're not an administrator (or a teacher), you really aren't in the best position to decide what is being blown out of proportion or not.

fuzzis

[Tommy9854]

My entire school district decided no tank-tops period because it was taking too much time and energy away from education to decide which tank tops had straps wide enough to be considered appropriate.

fuzzis

There is nothing wrong with the no tank top policy.

[Tommy9854]

Tommy, above is the key. Have you been a school administrator? :smt102

No, I haven't.

Please, explain the whole "holy" pants situation to me, since I have no "authority" to question it since I've never been an administrator.

And also, since I'm making a "mountain" I might as well go ahead and make it Mt. Everest.

What is more distracting..........A kid with a little hole in their pants or a kid walking around school with chains hanging in from their pants (chains, plural) hair 10 feet tall 2 different colors, shirt un tucked, moon boots, 10 peircings in each ear with 2 in the lip. And guess who Mr. Linton will write up?

[Susan from H'burg]

Tommy is right about Linton; I have had personal experience with Linton and know that Tommy is telling the truth. He is also right about the fact that having trouble with Linton doesn't necessarily mean that the student is or was troublesome; in fact, the opposite is true. I personally know of excellent students who NEVER got into trouble who had issues with Linton over stupid things. Just because Linton is an "administrator" doesn't mean that we have to swallow whatever swill he's shoveling. We all have a right to question and to have our own opinions, and we all have a right to clap at public functions if we choose to do so. I agree that to go overboard with the "hooting and hollering" is silly but you're always going to have people who go too far; they are showing their ignorance when they do that. But make no mistake about it, Linton IS a jerk.

[Conveyor Belt]

I've been to Jack Linton's home. I've been in school when he was the assistant principal. Off campus, he's an okay guy. In the role of principal, he's a disiplinarian. That's what the assistant principal is generally in charge of, and that's kind of what's carried him on.

I don't mind, and rather admire, the strict enforcement of a uniform policy. In alot of the real world, uniform policies are one of the most important things. Appearances matter, and that message is being drilled into every student daily.

On a different note, it must be the end of the world if Fuzzis and Doc are agreeing about anything... I swear, they'd argue about weather a black plate was orange or blue.

[Conveyor Belt]

On another note, I probably owe Jack Linton about $30 in unpaid lunch money loans. If you didn't have money for lunch, you could just ask him, and he'd give it to you.

And I have been on the wrong side of his desk, so to speak. Not more than twice, but I have been there. I can see how some kid who wanted to stand up to him because he thought the rules were stupid would think Linton's a jerk. If you don't like the rules, take it to a different school. If you don't like the rules you work under, you're going to find a different job. I know it's harder to find a different school, but, c'mon.

I know my senior year we had prisoner orange shirts made up that said Petal High Inmate on the back... A year later, I saw OG have similar shirts. I should have patented them...

[Blondie]

[quote=Tommy9854Another example of Mr. Wonderful Principle of the Millenium Linton blowing things out of porprotion: The "holy" jeans. If a girl....or guy, had on a pair of jeans with a hole in them, didn't even have to show skin, then they had to put a piece of tape on the hole to cover it up, because it is considered a "distraction"........Now, you tell me what is more of a distraction, somebody with a SMALL hole on their pants, that doesn't even show skin, or a huge piece of masking tape covering it up?[/quote]

No jeans with holes was a rule at my school, along with no jogging pants without the drawstring b/c guys were pulling girls' pants down. It's not a stupid rule. Administrators see problems and deal with them as best they know how. Just had a kid graduate who had no problem with Mr. Linton.

[Tommy9854]

No jeans with holes was a rule at my school, along with no jogging pants without the drawstring b/c guys were pulling girls' pants down. It's not a stupid rule. Administrators see problems and deal with them as best they know how. Just had a kid graduate who had no problem with Mr. Linton.
I understand having rules if there is a problem, but what is the problem with the holes?

And since those type of pants were the "in" thing at the time, it was VERY hard to find some that didn't have any holes in them.

[Conveyor Belt]

That's PURE BS! I HATE that kind of excuse. WalMart and JC Penny sells plenty of jeans without holes in them. It is not that difficult.

Thing is, you thought the rule was stupid and pass judgement up, hence whomever made the rule is stupid. You didn't want to follow the rule and try to justify yourself. I hope you get over yourself when you/you've join/joined the work force.

[noway]

c-belt what the heck are you talking about.. I can see tommy & susans point... Mr Linton shouldnt worry about a few cheers deal with it.. Just like we deal with not getting ketchup and napkins at checkers.. Gosh the world is going to end over a few people clapping for a freaking name being called.. SO WHAT WHO CARES :smt006 Like I said I dont remember hearing my name and really didn't care

[Ande']

Walmart and JC penny may be selling jeans without holes but that is not what the cool kids are wearing these days. One of the things I remember most about school was trying to blend as much as possible. Most kids don't want to be the different one.

Also I just tried to buy my husband jeans, I went to 4 stores in the mall that had holes in all their jeans. He makes enough holes on his own, I don't need to buy them that way.

[SoMissTV]

Walmart and JC penny may be selling jeans without holes but that is not what the cool kids are wearing these days. One of the things I remember most about school was trying to blend as much as possible. Most kids don't want to be the different one.

Another great reason for a dress code.

I don't know Jack Linton, but I'm hoping he's something like D.I. Patrick. For those of you who aren't from around here, Patrick was the principal at HHS in the 60's. A strict disciplinarian, he would carry a ruler in the halls during class chance and whack you on the hand if you were talking. He didn't take crap from anyone, and his legend (and ghost, if you believe the stories) still walk the halls to this day. That is exactly what we need. I'm willing to bet fuzzis will disagree with me here, but I don't believe you can effectively intelligently reason with all kids in school. Sometimes, it takes a little physical contact to get the point across. I am all for corporal punishment in school, for it seems that it's the only punishment that does much good these days. I know that if a man like that were at HHS these days, there wouldn't be nearly as many problems. Petal is lucky.

[fuzzis]

Another great reason for a dress code.

I'm willing to bet fuzzis will disagree with me here, but I don't believe you can effectively intelligently reason with all kids in school. Sometimes, it takes a little physical contact to get the point across. I am all for corporal punishment in school, for it seems that it's the only punishment that does much good these days. I know that if a man like that were at HHS these days, there wouldn't be nearly as many problems. Petal is lucky.

I realize this is a huge threadjack, but the concept of corporal punishment administered by the schools is completely foreign...and I must admit, horrific...to me. It didn't happen when I was a kid growing up in the Ozarks, and it was illegal in the state I taught in. Lots of effective consequences can be meted out that don't include teaching the child that violence against your person is an effective solution to problematic behavior.

Are there recalcitrant students? Most definitely, but there need to be options in place to deal with them. I believe that the first line of defense is to make sure that students know what is and is not acceptable, as well as what the consequences are for choosing unacceptable behavior.

During my first year of teaching, we had a horrible problem with students swearing in the hallways. As a faculty, we decided that part of the problem was there was no real consequence for students when they misbehaved in that way. So...it became mandatory for us to be in the hallways during passing periods. If we heard a student swear, regardless of whether we knew them or not, we were to pull them into our classroom and immediately have them call their parent or guardian, giving them an explanation of why they were calling. We also were to make a notation in their planners about their misbehavior, which parents were then responsible for signing. Many students were then tardy to their next class, which was unexused and counted against their citizenship grade, and with enough of those, they were ineligible to participate in many of the activities that they really wanted to do. After 3 weeks of concerted effort, the problem was solved.

Much the same happened with dress code violations. For about a month, during our advisory period, if a student was not in compliance with the dress code, they were to call their parents and ask them to bring a change of clothing. If the parent refused or were unable, the student was then sent to the office, where they changed into a Pine Middle School PE uniform (grey t-shirt with the Pine logo, navy blue nylon shorts). Their inappropriate clothing was bagged and returned when the parents arrived to pick it up. Problem solved very quickly.

The culture in schools can be changed...but it takes a hard-ass, particularly in the beginning, to make it happen. The VP who started at my school the same year I did, came to us after 20 years of teaching and administration at the local Catholic high school. Took absolutely no shit, and I'd say he crossed the line a few times, but never had to hit a kid to get him (or her...some of those Hispanics chicks could be as nasty, if not moreso, than most of the boys) to do what he wanted him to.

fuzzis

[Joelaw]

Pulling the thread back on topic cough cough LOL


I think the yelling and hopping up and down at graduation has more to do with the ‘ look at ME syndrome than showing support for ones child. Unless teens have changed a lot in 12 years most parents who act this way are embarrassing the person they came to support. Its these type of parents that always say things like "you know what MY child did"..."I’m here to show support for MY child" Its always about them and never what does little Jimmy/Suzie want.

[Conveyor Belt]

c-belt what the heck are you talking about.. I can see tommy & susans point... Mr Linton shouldnt worry about a few cheers deal with it.. Just like we deal with not getting ketchup and napkins at checkers.. Gosh the world is going to end over a few people clapping for a freaking name being called.. SO WHAT WHO CARES :smt006 Like I said I dont remember hearing my name and really didn't care

Condiments are provided at the request of the guest. That's pretty much the policy everywhere. If you ask, you will be provided for.

That being said, what I'm talking about is the BS excuse that he can't do it because it's not available to buy. I have employees who say they can't find this or that type of pants and it's pure BS. Now, the pants they have to buy may not ride up their ass, but they're all black.

Apparently, the world does end over some people clapping for a name. The girl in the OP was upset because she didn't get clapped for, and the letter written and read was upset because she couldn't hear the name for the clapping.

HS isn't as important as it once was. Most kids go on to college, not like in decades past. I don't see the point in celebrating what should be a given. That's my opinion. There are lots of people who'll disagree with me. In retrospect, 1/2 the stuff teachers told us was important doesn't mean anything outside of high school. It's a HUGE beaurocratic institution who's sole purpose is it's own continuance. So's college, to a degreee.

[Susan from H'burg]

No sour grapes here, just a different opinion, which BTW is permitted.

[noway]

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060608/OPINION03/606080318/1014/OPINION

"I think the administration needs to realize that there are going to always be disruptive and rude people who have no regard for others; however, for the most part, most Petal parents know how to behave like adults and don't need to be lectured like children."

[53NewYorker]

... He is also right about the fact that having trouble with Linton doesn't necessarily mean that the student is or was troublesome; in fact, the opposite is true. I personally know of excellent students who NEVER got into trouble who had issues with Linton over stupid things. ... and we all have a right to clap at public functions if we choose to do so.

It is statements like these that rub me the wrong way.

1) there is no such thing as a kid that NEVER got into trouble (or did anything that was wrong), but there are plenty of kids who think things are 'stupid' when there is a good reason for it (see fuzzis on flip-flops above). The only exception to this perfect child rule goes without saying. The principal may have gone overboard on occasion, but at least he erred on the right side and, at the same time, showed the troublemakers he wasn't just after them.

2) Yes, you have a 'right' to act out at a graduation or any other public place. What our grandparents understood was that it wasn't a matter of 'rights' as much as 'respect.' They understood, back when it was perhaps harder to graduate from high school--and perhaps more of an occasion to hoot and holler at the accomplishment, that respecting others meant asserting self-control in public. It was understood that others would return the favor. When our parents stopped disciplining us, we did not learn respect for one another and insisted on our "rights."

I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that the principal had to ask folks to respect one another or that people have a problem with the request. And the "well, you might as well get used to it because someone is going to do it anyway" is no excuse (and reminds me of Neville Chamberlain).

I think you will find the result of insisting on your 'rights' here is an almost unruly ceremony that lasts much longer than it could.

[beggingforrelief]

I had the honor of seeing a family friend's daughter graduate from Petal last year (2005). What I observed was a graduation that started with an air of decorum but quickly turned into a distasteful display of obnoxious behavior by a small but rowdy group.

During the graduation, students names were called and there were a few air horns going off, but as it progressed it seemed that the small groups (located to the right and left of the stage, dressed in basketball shirts, hats on backwards, ect) started screaming and dancing and blowing the air horns untill you could only see the graduates walking across the stage but could not hear thier names.

I agree that the pride that parents, family and friends have when someone graduates highschool is something to celebrate, but the display at that graduation and other graduations have turned a respected ceremony into basically a showcase for idiots. Please respect the honor and acheivements of the graduates with respectful applause and pride that they deserve.

[Maggie-Doodle]

SoMS, I agree with you 100% about Mr. D.I. Patrick. HE WAS VERY STRICK!!! AND at that time he had most of the parents who stood behind him. I really don't know if I was more scared of Patrick or Coach Snell. I hated to be close to either one because I just knew they were looking for us to do something wrong!
When I was a senior in 1969, pant suits were just coming in fashion for the ladies...we couldn't wear them to school however. I will never forget one particular cold Fri. nite we had a home football game and it was suppose to be close to freezing. My mom had just bought me a beautiful pants suit from Fine Bros. and she urged me to wear it to the Fri. fb game. Well I did and several of my friends also wore pant suits..all was fine Fri. nite....but lo and behold come Monday morning we were all sitting in Mr. Patricks office (scared to death I may add) We were given a 20 min. lecture about NO JEANS or SLACKS at school or school functions...we were told we represented not only the school but the town and WE would dress approp. We had to call our parents while we were in the office and Mr. Patrick told them the same thing. NEVER again did I do that...the funny thing was when that years freshman class became a senior, they could wear what they wanted! ALSO in our class the girls dress/skirt had to be knee length and the boys could not wear long hair...not even a little...it was so dishearting...mini skirts were the fad and Beatle length hair! Of course we would try to get by but Patrick, Coach Snell, Coach Hawthorn, Coach Hollingsworth and Coach Calhoun USUALLY caught us....

[Ande']

Give me a break! That is exactly the type of mentality that is contributing to the decline of our schools. School is not a fashion review! Who gives a rip what the "cool kids" are wearing these days?

I for one hope that our local schools move to uniforms soon to extract this fashion crap from the classroom.


I agree it shouldn't be important, but when I was in school I remeber it being important. I stressed over what I was going to wear every morning and whether it was going to be good enough. Now I think, how stupid to have wasted my time on it. Heck, we even voted on the best dressed students for Who's Who to go in the annual.
And I would bet if you ask any high shcool student today, most would say they care about the cool kids. It is unfortunate that students are seperated into groups (cool kids, nerds, jocks) but it was a reality when I was in shcool and is a reality for those in shcool now. It is only a few years after you are out of high school, that you realize how stupid all the 'groups' were.

[Blondie]

I understand having rules if there is a problem, but what is the problem with the holes?

And since those type of pants were the "in" thing at the time, it was VERY hard to find some that didn't have any holes in them.

The problem with the holes at my school was that they would be in private areas or would be big. While you may think the hole it OK, I may not. It's subjective, so in order to avoid any close judgment calls, it's easier to just say "no holes with jeans" rather than have to argue with kids and parents about if the hole is the right size, in the wrong place, etc. I'm not saying as a student I didn't think the rule was stupid, but as a parent and a volunteer at the schools, I see the importance of spending time dealing with other important issues other than the size of holes in jeans.

I agree it all goes back to the matter of respect. A rule is a rule, whether you agree with it or not. Just like a law is a law. It's part of life.

Yeah, I would have liked to have clapped for my kid, but they said don't, so I didn't. Because I RESPECT the rules and OBEY them.