No way they should have been arrested but I do understand them being asked to leave. Although pausing an extra 5 seconds after each name doesn't sound like a big deal think about a school like Henderson that has roughly 550 seniors each year. That is an extra 45 mins that it would take to finish. Then think about a school with 1000 seniors.

 

Your math is correct IF and only IF they have to pause after every student. My experience tells me that those who feel the need to whoop it up are in the great minority and have no negative impact on the ceremony.

 

For me to agree that a person should be removed, I'd have to see that person jumping up and down in the stands for more than 5 seconds or not shutting up for more than 5 seconds. Again, my experience says it s a short "whoop" or "way to go" and nothing that prolongs nor detracts from the ceremony. If these folks are genuinely excited about a major accomplishment for their loved one and want to yell "way to go" I'm not going to ask them to be removed.

I understand that they want the applause held till the end, and that is fine. But seriously.....escorting them out and arresting them, WAY OVER THE TOP. I mean pause an extra 5 seconds after each name and all the names will be heard and people can clap and yell. I think its great that parents,friends and family are happy and excited that their loved one has graduated. Let them be happy and clap.

 

While I agree with the majority that being arrested is too far, I disagree with just adding 5 seconds between names. For small schools, this is not a problem. But for larger schools with large graduating classes, this can add up to a lot of time. For every 100 students, 5 seconds between names adds up to 8 additional minutes. When I graduated college, there were over 1,200 graduates in the room. 5 seconds between names adds nearly two hours to a ceremony that's already too long.

 

So long as the "cheer" is not elongated, I have no problem with it. Besides, sitting in bleachers for 3 hours to hear one name called, you've earned your little shout.

I agree with everything the principal said. At my youngest son's graduation, we couldn't hear some of the names and missed half the valeditorian's speed because of loud people in the crowd.

 

As a school teacher who attends graduation every spring, I agree 100000000% with what you are saying. It seems to get worse. The problem is not with the 200 or so eighth graders being honored, but rather with the 1000 or so parents being idiots in the seats.

It's called common courtesy and it's not that hard to do. I don't agree with them being arrested, but I've been to a couple where some people make fools of themselves.

It's called common courtesy and it's not that hard to do. I don't agree with them being arrested, but I've been to a couple where some people make fools of themselves.

 

Not knowing the whole situation, arrests might be a bit much, but removal isn't out of the question at all. Of course that would probably be considered a rights violation!

the 200 or so eighth graders being honored, but rather with the 1000 or so parents.

 

1000/200=5 parents per child. It would appear that your school's parents are highly successful at remarrying after they break up.:banana::devil:

 

J/K with you gchs, I know what you meant. :thumb:

1000/200=5 parents per child. It would appear that your school's parents are highly successful at remarrying after they break up.:banana::devil:

 

J/K with you gchs, I know what you meant. :thumb:

 

You aren't far from being correct. Every parent I meet has a different last name than kids (sometimes mom AND dad have different last names). But our 8th grade graduation brings out mom/dad, all steps, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, preachers, attorneys, and everyone else. One thousand might be a low estimate!:lol:

PH and I are the ones that are very quiet during graduation time....However, as most of you know, we had 13 foster girls and with that many, well, there is one that you really wonder about. Our third oldest, Tiffany, was the one we really worried about. We tried everything with her...counseling did not even work....any way, when she graduated, we did get rather loud....she was very proud of herself, and, we could have not been more proud. Her senior year in high school was a big change for her. She got on the straight and narrow....it was a decision that, in the end, only she could make. The thrill of hearing her name was just too overwhelming to stay quiet!!! We even seen one of her teachers cheer for her. With us, her teacher, her grandparents (our parents) and 12 other of our foster children and my brother....well, it took a while before the place was quiet!

Why this story....it is because there are some of these kids that really beat the odds by graduating. No, it is not fair to the rest of the kids and parents, but, I can understand when the kid had beaten so many odds to actually be getting the degree. We were very proud of our other children, however, it was not as big of a struggle for them. I am just happy that we were not kicked out! We did not plan to celebrate at that time, it is just something that comes over you and takes you over before you know what is going on....that is the only way that I can explain it.

PH and I are the ones that are very quiet during graduation time....However, as most of you know, we had 13 foster girls and with that many, well, there is one that you really wonder about. Our third oldest, Tiffany, was the one we really worried about. We tried everything with her...counseling did not even work....any way, when she graduated, we did get rather loud....she was very proud of herself, and, we could have not been more proud. Her senior year in high school was a big change for her. She got on the straight and narrow....it was a decision that, in the end, only she could make. The thrill of hearing her name was just too overwhelming to stay quiet!!! We even seen one of her teachers cheer for her. With us, her teacher, her grandparents (our parents) and 12 other of our foster children and my brother....well, it took a while before the place was quiet!

Why this story....it is because there are some of these kids that really beat the odds by graduating. No, it is not fair to the rest of the kids and parents, but, I can understand when the kid had beaten so many odds to actually be getting the degree. We were very proud of our other children, however, it was not as big of a struggle for them. I am just happy that we were not kicked out! We did not plan to celebrate at that time, it is just something that comes over you and takes you over before you know what is going on....that is the only way that I can explain it.

 

Your story is touching (seriously) and congrats to your daughter's accomplishment. But isn't the point of the article and the school's ruling that - as you yourself pointed out - it isn't fair to the other graduating kids and children to be yelling and screaming over the top of their names? They all worked and struggled too - to varying degrees, no doubt - to graduate. Don't they also deserve their fair recognition? A short "whoop" or cheer is one thing. But yelling so loud as to be a distraction and obscuring another child's name is simply unfair (not saying you did this).

Your story is touching (seriously) and congrats to your daughter's accomplishment. But isn't the point of the article and the school's ruling that - as you yourself pointed out - it isn't fair to the other graduating kids and children to be yelling and screaming over the top of their names? They all worked and struggled too - to varying degrees, no doubt - to graduate. Don't they also deserve their fair recognition? A short "whoop" or cheer is one thing. But yelling so loud as to be a distraction and obscuring another child's name is simply unfair (not saying you did this).

 

Actually, in our case, no other names were called until everyone became quiet....I am not, in any way, saying what we did was right...but, sometimes, things happen that you don't count on. There are some people who plan on cheering, none of us did! It was such a relief, I guess that is what you would call it....that it was just a release. We have been to a lot of graduations, trust me LOL and there is always at least one student that really struggled...these are the kids that get the celebrating friends and families....we have never minded it at all....the staff is great and does not go on until the celebrating is over. For the most part, people do stay quiet, so, it does not take that much longer if there is a student that does get a lot of yelling and so forth....Like I said, we were very proud of all of our girls, but, this one, well, we did not know if she would be graduating or in jail.

I think that the staff just needs not to call names until the celebrating is done....it is not like all the children get the yelling and celebrating...I think if it keeps going on and on, then, something needs to be done about it. Other wise, leave it alone. Maybe the speeches should be cut shorter:sssh::lol::lol:Some of the speeches go on and on and on!!! That way, it would not take that much time for the names to be called.

My goodness, when I graduated from Western the first time, there was a staff member that would not shut up!! I think the speech went on for at least 45 minutes...then there were others who talked. It was horrible.

But yelling so loud as to be a distraction and obscuring another child's name is simply unfair (not saying you did this).

 

I have not read nor heard that this was the case in Rock Hill.

Keep in mind that it was not the schools intention to have anyone arrested.

Keep in mind that it was not the schools intention to have anyone arrested.

 

I have a hard time taking this at face value. If it was not the school's intent for people to get arrested for yelling, why did they request police presence?

 

I believe they did not want anyone to get arrested, but by requesting police "patrols", they had to know it was a possibility.

I really don't care if you clap or give out a big old "whoopie" when your child crosses that stage but just don't keep yellling and yelling and acting like a total fool. I know that you are excited, as well you should be, but you need to understand that there are a couple of hundred other families that would like to hear their child's name also.

 

Year before last when my nephew graduated, there was this one kid who walked across the stage and his family started screaming and dancing and yelling like a pack of idiots. I don't mean just a few people, I mean a whole herd of them. The kid stood on the stage and did a little dance and acting just as bad.

 

I know that this is such a big time for families, heck it was for us also, but I just think that there are times to act with a little class and graduation is one of them.

I have a hard time taking this at face value. If it was not the school's intent for people to get arrested for yelling, why did they request police presence?

 

I believe they did not want anyone to get arrested, but by requesting police "patrols", they had to know it was a possibility.

 

I doubt that the school's intent was to have anyone arrested and that the police presence was there to ensure that there was no disorderly conduct, something that can surely occur whenever there is a sizeable crowd. The bigger issue, IMO, is how the school defines "disorderly conduct." Is a single "whoop" or cheer disorderly? One wouldn't think so, but the school apparently does.