Valedictorian Kaitlin Nootbaar was denied her high school diploma until she apologizes. Her sin? She quoted from the Twilight movie series and used the word Hell. In the grand scheme of things, Hell seems pretty harmless. According to NBCnews.com:
David Nootbaar said he is furious that Prague High School is withholding his daughter Kaitlin’s diploma because of her use of the word during the graduation speech in May. “She has worked so hard to stay at the top of her class and this is not right,” he said. “She earned that diploma. In four years she has never made a B. She got straight A’s and had a 4.0 the whole way through.
David Nootbaar said his daughter was inspired by the movie “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” when she wrote the speech. “Her quote was, ‘When she first started school she wanted to be a nurse, then a veterinarian and now that she was getting closer to graduation, people would ask her, what do you want to do and she said ‘How the hell do I know? I’ve changed my mind so many times,’” he said.
He said in the written script she gave to the school she wrote “heck,” but in the moment she said “hell” instead.
During the ceremony, Nootbaar said the audience laughed and she finished her speech to warm applause. She didn’t know there was a problem, he said.
But trouble surfaced when she went to school to pick up her graduation certificate last week, her father said.
“We went to the office and asked for the diploma and the principal said ‘Your diploma is right here but you’re not getting it. Close the door we have a problem,'” Nootbaar said.
It was then Kaitin was told that she had to write a letter of apology. She refuses because she isn’t sorry. So, she goes to Southwestern Oklahoma State University without a diploma. The principal says he insists on an apology because she did not use the speech he approved.
Unfortunately, I see both sides of this situation. For starters, principals must approve speeches. They are the ones whose butts are on the line if a student goes rogue and gives a totally inappropriate speech–and it has happened before.
On the other hand, good grief. Hell? It isn’t like she dropped the F bomb from the podium. Hell is about as mild as it gets. I wouldn’t even classify it as a cuss word any more.
As for not apologizing…maybe she has a point to make. Would he have approved the use of the word Hell in context?
Somewhere there is a point. Somewhere great principle is involved. that’s P-L-E, not P-A-L. Perhaps the P-A-L could look like less of an ass if he had called her in and had an adult discussion with Kaitlin, or pretended she was an adult, and explained his responsibilities to students, parents, school board, community. All it takes is one jerk to ruin your day. If he were a real educator he could have turned it into a teachable moment. Instead he had to go all strident on her. Not a good life lesson to walk away from high school with.
It seems that she’s graduated and that all she is missing is the sheepskin. Correct? If that’s the case, tell the principal to shove it up his fascist ass. Her college obviously accepted her and hasn’t dis enrolled her. I say roll with it.
How many of us really hang up that diploma anyways?
I have no idea where mine even is. What he can do, is hold up her transcripts that she did graduate. I don’t think it is all a matter of sheepskin. On the other hand, colleges can also unaccept you. Hopefully she has all her paperwork in order and no longer needs anything from the school.
Prague, Oklahoma, is a town with a little over 2000 residents.
This case is putting it on the map. Wonder hw the principal feels
about the publicity?
I hate to mention this, but could this have anything to do with the fact that she submitted her speech for acceptance by the school, and then changed her presentation of it. That is probably what the school is focused on, and it would have gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for the fact that the changed word drew attention to it. I’d just call it a slip of the tongue and let it pass, but as with plagiarism I guess the school felt the need to enforce some academic rule. The school’s biggest problem is that they went way over the top in response. A simple comment to her afterwards would have sufficed, but to hold her diploma is plain crazy.
“What he can do, is hold up her transcripts that she did graduate.”
Then she has learned a valuable lesson. Government is evil.
@marinm
Always question authority….especially when it’s stupid!
All this over the word “hell”? I don’t get it.