Families miss out at grad ceremony
Technical difficulties prevent relatives from seeing class walkBy Wendy McCardle, wmccardle@altoonamirror.com
ROARING SPRING - Several family members of Central High School's graduating Class of 2009 are upset because they missed out on their loved ones' graduation experiences.
"We thought we were going to be able to see people graduate, and that didn't happen," said Vince Miller, one of more than 40 parents, grandparents, friends and family who couldn't see students accept diplomas June 3 at Central's graduation ceremony.
Graduation was scheduled to be held the at Roaring Spring Athletic Field, where no ticket was needed for admission. In the event that inclement weather forced the ceremony indoors, each graduate was given four tickets for family members to use.
District officials said graduates can request extra tickets, although it is not guaranteed they will receive any.
When the decision was made the morning of graduation to hold the ceremony in the school auditorium, the number of people who could fit in the space was restricted considerably.
Miller, who did not have a ticket, said he got to the school about an hour before graduation with his 82-year-old father and was told they weren't allowed in the auditorium.
"We went in there, and they said if you don't have a ticket, you can't get in," Miller said.
Instead, they were directed to the band room and told they could watch the ceremony on closed circuit TV.
Miller said that with less than 20 minutes to go until graduation, the television in the band room wasn't functioning.
Eventually, he left the school shortly after the ceremony started.
"We got up and left," he said. "I never did get to see my son graduate. We thought we were going to be able to see people graduate and that didn't happen."
Superintendent Rodney Green said Thursday that he would not comment on the situation, as he believed it had been dealt with to the best of the district's abilities. According to the district, the matter was a private one and steps would be taken to improve the graduation-watching experience in the future.
Donna Simington of Claysburg was excited to see her oldest grandchild graduate from Central, but she too, didn't have a ticket and was forced into the band room. Earlier in the day, she said she was told on the phone that she would be removed by security if she attempted to enter the auditorium.
"This was ridiculous," she said. "It just blows me away. It was a real fiasco to say the least."
Of the 40 or so people in the band room, some had come from as far as New York and Florida, Simington said.
There were quite a few empty seats in the auditorium, too, she said.
"There were enough empty seats," Simington said. "My daughter had an empty seat next to her. That was just insult to injury."
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nanabanana
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06-16-09 2:43 PM
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I happen to know for a fact that Mr. Miller had a ticket for graduation but decided not to use it.
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gordon65
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06-14-09 11:18 PM
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hey vigilante...not only do the kids from Central graduate but they go on to college and become successful members of our community including that proctologist you'll be seeing soon sooooooo you may want to watch it!!!
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fordman
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06-13-09 3:53 PM
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maybe they need an intermission to swap out parents . go from a thru l, and then m thru z that way they could accomidate more people and still get it over with
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librerrylady
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06-13-09 2:21 PM
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You know people will throw fits about anything, and the media will give them a soapbox! My daughters graduated from Central and it rained on both of their days! the 4 people with tickets got to attend. If there is no room there is no room! My daughter just graduated from college...and guess whaT??? Only 4 tickets were available, she decided on the 4 people and the ones that could not attend understood and were there for celebration afterwards. Grow up! It is not a small schools fault that your graduate gave her tickets to others...
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KlausVR
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06-13-09 1:32 PM
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Let's see ... 4 "contingency" tickets given to each student, For the most part, each student has 2 parents and 4 grandparents (and other mixtures possible), hmmm, doesn't match up.
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iamtwa
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06-13-09 9:51 AM
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Stop whining. What happened to the 4 tickets your grand child was given? Apparently you are not 1 of the 4 favorite people in the child's life or you thought you could "pity" or BULLY your way in. The school districts in this area try to do what is best for all involved.Get over it. If the school district wanted to soothe the situation, if they recorded the event offer a FREE copy to whomever requests a copy.
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CharlieVarrick
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06-13-09 9:29 AM
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My God this happened years ago to one of my children and my Mother and my in-laws didn't think anything of it. As long as they were there and partied afterwords they were extremely happy. People just need to complain and wine all the time. Get over it, the fact you showed up is special enough for all involved.
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Anthony
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06-13-09 9:04 AM
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How is this news? What happened to the 4 tickets the students were given. I KNOW that this was not news to the families or the students that tickets would be needed in the event of rain. If you are coming from Florida, its the risk you take. They should feel lucky to have 4 tickets, our graduation was only 3. I think the School District handled this as best as they could. Of course they cant let 1 person in without a ticket, otherwise everyone without a ticket would want in. There are limits to the number of people they can let in to a room.
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downtownron
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06-13-09 8:41 AM
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If this is the worse thing that ever happens in these people's lives, then they might have something to complain about. C'mon, get over it! We've all got bigger fish to fry.
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textcop
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06-13-09 1:49 AM
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No parent or grandparent should ever be turned away from graduation. The organizers of the graduation ceremony should have stipulated that "in case of rain" only the parents and grandparents of the graduating student would be admitted to the auditorium. We've become a nation of blended families and often the step-parents want to be there too but they should not supercede a parent or Grandparent. 4 tickets should be mailed to each Graduate's home 3 weeks preceeding the event and then parents would have the tickets ready "in case of rain". Every parent should be present at the actual Graduation Ceremony without fail. Brother's, Sister's, Aunt's, Uncle's, and Significant Other's whether they be the Parent or the Boyfriend or Girlfriend of the Graduate should all be second to the Parent or Grandparent.
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