School superintendent 'out of control'? (Old Town: home, high school, college)

[Submariner]

At the 'Bonny Eagle High School' graduation ceremony, the Superintendent [Suzanne Lukas], launched a 'crackdown' on inappropriate behavior and had a sheriff's deputy escort one student out for launching a beach ball inside the Cumberland County Civic Center. And then a second student was apprehended for blowing a kiss and bowing to the audience.


I guess by having arrests made during the ceremony, and screams of horror from the attending audience, the superintendent certainly made the ceremony a 'refined event'.

At least that is what she says she was trying to do.



Parents to vent after graduation crackdown - Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2009/06/17/parents_to_vent_after_graduation_crackdown/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Maine+news - broken link)

[Draconiator]

Sounds like a superintendent we had...if you know "Sue Berthiume" I think her name was, not sure on that...but she basically ran SAD #27 like her own little dictatorship. We have a new one now, thank god they chased her out. I was in school with her in office, and she wasn't bad then, but towards the end of her "term" she started acting like something that would get me banned if I mentioned it here. The entire high school held a protest on the front lawn after she fired a well-respected teacher. And I remember she got fired from a New York school system for doing the same kind of crap.

The new one isn't like that, thank goodness. Wonder where she is now though....

Edit: Although it wouldn't surprise me if this was actually her with a last name change...which would mean that she was unfaithful to the head of the hospital here

[cebdark]

This is also being discussed on the Education Forum of CD.

IMHO, I think that it's a case of going overboard. Blowing a kiss to your family?

Apparently there was also something about a beachball being tossed about. Is there anyone on the board that was actually there?

[Submariner]

Last year when our youngest son graduated high school there was: blowing kisses, bows, cheers from the crowd of students, caps were thrown in the air at one point, a beach ball bounced around a bit.

The kids were happy!

Lots of photos were taken by everyone.

The authorities of late have crushed most attempts of young people to have parties, so they have very few options remaining.

Last year in Old Town the K of C hall did open for a dance following the high school graduation, so at least somebody tried to provide an activity for the kids.

When I graduated there were keggers at a few different farms in the area.

[shadowfax1997]

from what I have read there is plenty of blame to go around - super, students and parents.

The super was trying to keep the event more formal and went a bit overboard, but there is nothing wrong with making graduation a nice event. I have seen our students ( white gowns ) with nothing on underneath( imagine an 18 yr old girls body....). I have seen dozens of beach balls bounced around while guests are trying to speak. I have seen cartwheels by student and student falls and injures themselves. Some people might find these antics entertaining, but i find them degrading to the ceremony at hand.

Then some parents started yelling profanities during the ceremony at bonney eagle. Real impressive.

Most schools have graduation parties that are chem free. Our school bused the students to three locales ending back at the school where a parent/guardian had to pick them up ( no students driving home after being up all night ). The kids love it and enjoy it immensely.

[maine4.us]

I boat boat airhorns, noisemakers, and confetti are banned from the spectators? In the last 37 graduations that I have attended behavior of everyone at a graduation has degenerated. We do a friendly frisk of all our seniors to make sure 1) they are fully clothed under the gown 2) they don't have silly string to spray on the other seniors 3) they don't have noisemakers 4) they aren't intoxicated. We take these precautions because we have had those issues in the past.

We do allow the students to do their "thing" as they walk off the stage, a bow to their parents, blowing a kiss, or yelling I love you mom and dad. Not exactly 100 straight laced, but after all it is a time of happiness for all involved. It's the first long term goal the students have ever achieved.

Generally speaking, the audience is the group of people we worry about. Because we have a large audience, seating is a real issue. We have had friendly scuffles in the stands because of people "saving seats" for others. Unfortuantely some parents started happy hour before they came to graduation, so we have police stationed in the stands. Because of all our precautions, we generally don't have major problems at graduation.

I would say the super should have been more proactive than reactive.

[flycessna]

I understand the differences today’s teachers have to deal with that were not there when I was younger… “PARENTS” being the biggest difference. But there has been just as much as a degeneration of quality teachers. Today I see so many teachers where it is so obvious they plainly…do not like kids, or I see a LOT that just do not like boys. They have contempt for them.

The biggest deference I see is that the teachers WE had were not doing it for the money, they were there because it was what they loved to do. And today, decades later, I still have teachers that I communicate with.

My guess is....and I am totally guessing as I do not know a thing about this person. But these actions to me are from someone who really does not like kids, nor can she even begin to understand what its like to be a teenager. I surmise she probably started out as an educator but realized quickly there is more money in advancement. If you do not have a basic appreciation for children or teenagers and you just do not like them, or if you have specific issues with boy students, and or you simply cannot teach… then why are you in this profession?

[kellysmith]

I think one issue is the student who didn't get handed his diploma did something else on his way up to the stage. The graduating class had signed an acknowledgement that the only graduation ropes to be displayed were for academics. Basically, an acknowledgement of academic achievement. Now this individual bowed to someone, supposedly his parents, blew a kiss, again supposedly to his parents, then pulled a rope out from underneath his gown that signified he was part of the track team. I don't blame the Superintendent for her response. In my eyes, the rope deal is what was the issue. He gets acknowledgement for his athletic endeavors at the Sports Awards banquet, not graduation. That maneuver degrades those who actually worked hard to obtain academic excellence. I remember the pride I felt seeing my daughter graduate from college wearing her magna c-u-m-laude rope. (hyphens added to prevent that word from turning to asterisks..) If someone had pulled out a rope for being on the basketball team, I'd felt my daughter's accomplishment was being belittled. No, I'm not against athletics, but that's why they hold Sports Award banquets.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by flycessna

I understand the differences today’s teachers have to deal with that were not there when I was younger… “PARENTS” being the biggest difference. But there has been just as much as a degeneration of quality teachers. Today I see so many teachers where it is so obvious they plainly…do not like kids, or I see a LOT that just do not like boys. They have contempt for them.

The biggest deference I see is that the teachers WE had were not doing it for the money, they were there because it was what they loved to do. And today, decades later, I still have teachers that I communicate with.

My guess is....and I am totally guessing as I do not know a thing about this person. But these actions to me are from someone who really does not like kids, nor can she even begin to understand what its like to be a teenager. I surmise she probably started out as an educator but realized quickly there is more money in advancement. If you do not have a basic appreciation for children or teenagers and you just do not like them, or if you have specific issues with boy students, and or you simply cannot teach… then why are you in this profession?

When we see what the salaries for some school administrators has climbed up to, it is obvious why they are in that profession.

Two of my grandparents taught grammar school. They received a small stipend, plus donations from the families. Mostly things like a cured ham, or veggies, or eggs as their compensation.

It was before the government got into funding public education, and it become a trough.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

When we see what the salaries for some school administrators has climbed up to, it is obvious why they are in that profession.

Two of my grandparents taught grammar school. They received a small stipend, plus donations from the families. Mostly things like a cured ham, or veggies, or eggs as their compensation.

It was before the government got into funding public education, and it become a trough.

Spoken like a true conservative!