Students STILL denied diplomas, Principal wants apology and cheering culprits tracked down

GALESBURG, Ill. (AP) -- Five students denied diplomas after cheers erupted when their names were called at a high school graduation emerged empty-handed Tuesday from a meeting with school administrators.

The students and their families met briefly with Galesburg High School officials at an administration building, but they were again denied the diplomas because no one apologized to school officials for the cheers at the May 27 ceremony.

...The students denied the diplomas say school officials wanted them to track down the cheering culprits. They say that is impossible, because they don't know who might have cheered in the crowd of about 2,000 people.

This from WAVE TV.

Photo: From the NY Times, Kent Kriegshauser/The Register Mail, via Associated Press
(Gene Denisar, the schools superintendent in Galesburg, Ill., left, with Andrew Thomas Johnson, a senior, at graduation ceremonies in May.)

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And this Op-Ed from the Glasgow Daily Times.

Graduation is supposed to be a celebratory time that acknowledges all the hard work students put into their four years of high school.It is supposed to be a joyous occasion, marking the end of one journey and the start of another.

Five graduates from a high school in Galesburg, Ill., probably have a different take on the whole graduation experience.

...who is to say that maybe the perpetrators were not even associated with the students and instead someone who wanted to cause a little trouble because they were aware of the consequences?

The school said the five students can still receive their diplomas if they complete eight hours of public service work.

Gee, that’s fair!

Cheering ban costs five students their H.S. diplomas

GALESBURG, Illinois (AP) -- 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.

This from CNN, Photo by Kent Kriegshauser, The Register Mail / AP