Friday, June 8, 2012

C'mon - Get Happy!

[live from my perch upon my soapbox today...]

You might not have noticed (particularly if you're just getting your info from my blog!) that the news of the world today is frankly...not good.  I scan the front section of my newspaper (Seattle Times) daily as I head to the comics and puzzle section.  But even just scanning I can't help but notice that even my local community is not immune from horrible, senseless violence and the number of shooting fatalities to date already surpasses those of the entire last year!

So when something good, actually great happens, you'd think that we'd be allowed some happiness.  My motto is there's always something to celebrate and we should do so with gusto!

Apparently not everyone shares my sense of joy and the debate rages on the appropriate way to demonstrate that elation.

Case in point - Anthony Cornist, a recent graduate of Mt. Healthy High School, was denied his diploma following commencement ceremonies and instead given a letter from the principal informing him that it was being withheld due to "excessive cheering" by his guests.  (High school senior denied diploma because family cheered too loudly at graduation)  The school included language on the graduation ticket order form that parents (or whoever actually ordered the free tickets) would agree to this type of action for any "disruptive behavior" on their part.  I'm not a lawyer - haven't even played one on tv - but it seems that this type of instruction would be rather difficult to assess.  I mean seriously, did the school have monitors in the audience with those gadgets they use at games to judge crowd noise as they try to whip the spectators into a frenzy during a close game?  How do I get that job?  Or better yet, how does my unemployed 27-year-old son get that job????  PS - Anthony will get his diploma ONCE he completes 20 hours of community service.

I suppose Anthony's mom should be just grateful that the school didn't take more drastic action as they did for 18-year-old Iesha Cooper's mom. (Mom locked up for cheering too loudly at her daughter's graduation)  Iesha, a graduate of South Florence High School, had the privilege of watching her mom (BTW NOT the only one cheering that evening) escorted BY POLICE in HANDCUFFS across the floor in front of the entire graduation audience and graduates and placed UNDER ARREST and charged with Disorderly Conduct.  (Police said it was announced that anyone who cheered or screamed would treated this way.  Again, how are the monitoring this?)  PS - Iesha's party was postponed until mom made bail, but Iesha's memory of her graduation day - what should have been the happiest day of her life so far - is that her mama went to jail that day.

Really?  Really people?  There are so many, MANY heartbreaking stories of kids - those kids who are just plain unlucky and find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time; those kids who make really bad choices with the worst results by getting into drugs, alcohol, and gangs; and then are those who either through circumstance or by conscious choice just insist on taking the most stupid, heinous actions resulting often in not only their own death but also pure agony for so many other families. But by all account, Anthony and Iesha weren't those kids.  These are good kids who did, possibly despite the odds, exactly what we want our kids to do: they completed high school with positive goals for their future - quite an accomplishment in this day!  We should ALL be cheering and screaming for these two and all the others like them!  Kids should know that we are proud of them - sometimes embarrassingly proud of them! - but if ever there was a time to stand up and be heard cheering for our kids certainly this is it!

Way to go Anthony! 
Congratulations Iesha!

(I hope you can you hear me cheering!  Best wishes for your amazing futures!)
~later, tw

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