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An Oklahoma high school valedictorian who used the word "hell" in her graduation speech in May has yet to receive her diploma.

Kaitlin Nootbaar graduated from Prague High School with a 4.0 grade point average, her father, David Nootbaar, told KFOR-TV. But school administrators told him that Kaitlin would have to submit a written apology in order to get her diploma.

"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,'" David Nootbaar told the network.

"She worked so hard to stay at the top of her class," he said. "This is not right."

In her speech—inspired by a similar address in "Eclipse: The Twilight Saga"—Kaitlin recounted how annoying it is to be constantly asked what she wants to do as graduation approached. "How the hell do I know?" she said, according to her father. "I've changed my mind so many times."

In the version she submitted to the school for approval, "hell" was "heck." But in the version she delivered at graduation, "hell" it was.

The school declined to comment. "This matter is confidential and we cannot publicly say anything about it," Prague schools Superintendent Rick Martin said in a statement to KFOR.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lo...-hell-134805221.html

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If the facts are as stated in the new report,

 

1. She submitted the text for review and it was approved.

2. Her representation differed from that she submitted for approval.

 

This minor deviation was no big thing... It's laughable that the authorities noticed...

Likewise, there is a simple solution. She should apologize for error and let the world continue spinning on it's axis...

Originally Posted by Bestworking:

 There you go again. I seriously doubt she's the first to submit one speech and change a word or two when it's given. She's an adult, she earned her diploma, only a nut job would keep it from her. 

---------------------------

Tsk... Tsk...

There you go again...

Name calling...

Does your vocabulary include the word "honor" ?

The student is to be commended  for her scholastic achievements...

But....

The school placed a trust in the young lady and she either made a mistake or she violated that trust. I hope she did so in error.

A society without honor is headed for disaster...

 

My niece was valedictorian of her class and gave a speech that she had to submit before hand for approval also. She didn't want to read off of cards so she just got up and did it from memory. We had all heard it before because she wanted to practice saying the speech. When she delivered the speech it was not word for word what she had submitted to the school. Should they have withheld her diploma? I believe my sister would have sued the pants off of them for trying to pull a stunt like that.

 

Is this about deviating from the speech a word here or there, or is this about the word hell? Whats the real difference between hell and heck, besides two letters?

 

To me this issue is not about this girls honor and more about this principals personal beliefs and his attempt to force them on her by withholding something she worked for and earned. If anyone's honor is in question I would think it was his.

Originally Posted by Jankinonya:

My niece was valedictorian of her class and gave a speech that she had to submit before hand for approval also. She didn't want to read off of cards so she just got up and did it from memory. We had all heard it before because she wanted to practice saying the speech. When she delivered the speech it was not word for word what she had submitted to the school. Should they have withheld her diploma? I believe my sister would have sued the pants off of them for trying to pull a stunt like that.

 

Is this about deviating from the speech a word here or there, or is this about the word hell? Whats the real difference between hell and heck, besides two letters?

 

To me this issue is not about this girls honor and more about this principals personal beliefs and his attempt to force them on her by withholding something she worked for and earned. If anyone's honor is in question I would think it was his.

-------------------------

For all we know, the young lady is a wonderful, scholarly, honorable, and honest individual. I personally hope so and in my heart I think that is the case. I think in the tenseness of the moment she slipped and out popped the word hell...I really don't think it is any big deal. I suspected (and I emphasize the word "suspect") that things got out of hand and both side dug their heals in. Kinda' like a bunch of lawyers racing to the scene of an accident. I'm not a guru... I don't have all the answer. I am, however,  an advocate of diplomacy. A simple "I'm sorry", which costs no one anything, and this affair over with. Why all the fuss. This is like a grain of sand in all the beaches in the world.

Now which side should do so. Well, let's weigh the repercussions... The principal reports to a school board who would likely over react and see an apology as a sign of weakness. He could lose his job over something that most would see as silly. The young lady, on the other hand, could come out ahead and gain respect, by simply saying sorry, she could show that she was above petty grievances.  Think about it, please. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Dove of Peace:
Originally Posted by Bestworking:

 There you go again. I seriously doubt she's the first to submit one speech and change a word or two when it's given. She's an adult, she earned her diploma, only a nut job would keep it from her. 

---------------------------

Tsk... Tsk...

There you go again...

Name calling...

Does your vocabulary include the word "honor" ?

The student is to be commended  for her scholastic achievements...

But....

The school placed a trust in the young lady and she either made a mistake or she violated that trust. I hope she did so in error.

A society without honor is headed for disaster...

 

==========

Tsk tsk, there you go again, lying.  Drama queen. Saying the word "hell" is neither an error, or a loss of "honor". My goodness, even the TD doesn't block it.

Originally Posted by Bestworking:

 There you go again. I seriously doubt she's the first to submit one speech and change a word or two when it's given. She's an adult, she earned her diploma, only a nut job would keep it from her. 

Does not make what she did right it is not like she used "its instead of it is" she cussed.    If she is an adult  just admit you made a mistake and apologize to get your diploma.  Fast forward into the future and she does this while speaking to a group of investors for her boss would it be ok then?

How about some personal responsibility?

 She is an adult, she didn't "cuss", but had she indeed "cussed" it would be no one's business. So, do you also think if someone at work says the word hell their employer can fire them or withhold their paycheck?  Because this guy took it upon himself to be the "morality police" doesn't mean a thing. BTW, don't preachers yell the word "hell" all the time? What about people on TV that are interviewed about disasters or other things that happened to them saying, "it was hell"??  Some self righteous nutjob sees a chance to play big dog and blow something up out of all proportion.  He's the one that should apologize.

 Sure sounds to me that the girl is about a hundred times smarter than the principal and the superintendent.

 ***************************************************************************

 

 

Kaitlin Nootbaar has no plans to apologize, her father said.

 

"She said 'Dad, if I write them a letter it's not going to be a nice letter. It's not going to be an apology,' " Nootbaar said.

 

Martin said he has had no communication with the family and hopes they'll "contact me personally so that this matter may be resolved between the proper parties."

 

Nootbaar said he has tried, to no avail, to contact the superintendent.

 

Kaitlin Nootbaar is attending Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford on a full scholarship, her father said, and is majoring in biology with plans to become a marine biologist.

 

He said the university previously accepted his daughter's high school transcript and 4.0 GPA as proof of her graduation.

 

"She didn't cuss anybody," David Nootbaar said, "and the funny thing is, the school she graduated from, its mascot is a devil."

 

The school's website identifies the mascot as the Red Devils and shows a cartoonish devil with horns and a pointed tail, winking and holding a trident.

Another angle on this dust-up:  The school superintendent said this:

 

"This matter is confidential and we cannot publicly say anything about it," Prague schools Superintendent Rick Martin said in a statement to KFOR."


Where is the confidentiality? Presumably the school system's practice of confidentiality is to protect the accused from adverse publicity.  But the accused, in this case, has gone entirely public in a big way, thus obviating any basis for confidentiality. The school satraps are invoking a bogus confidentiality in order to avoid public scrutiny of their motives and actions.

Originally Posted by Bestworking:

 She is an adult, she didn't "cuss", but had she indeed "cussed" it would be no one's business. So, do you also think if someone at work says the word hell their employer can fire them or withhold their paycheck?  Because this guy took it upon himself to be the "morality police" doesn't mean a thing. BTW, don't preachers yell the word "hell" all the time? What about people on TV that are interviewed about disasters or other things that happened to them saying, "it was hell"??  Some self righteous nutjob sees a chance to play big dog and blow something up out of all proportion.  He's the one that should apologize.

I think most people would agree that it is a cuss word and yes it was someones business i.e. she had to submit a proposed speech to the school for approval.  Just because some have abandoned proper etiquette does not mean all have.  No someone would probably not be fired but in many instances would be required to apologize.  I know if I was saying that word in a very public setting such as that my employer would have something to say about it.  Just because some use the word on TV etc does not make it suitable for all and the School had the right to dissaprove or approve her speech.

Originally Posted by Bestworking:

BTW-I don't consider it a cuss word. She's doing the right thing by refusing to apologize and getting on with her life. Let the old prude principal keep the piece of paper. I'm sure the word hell isn't the worse he's ever heard or most likely ever used himself.

Well Thankfully you do not set acceptable behavior for the masses.  I guess you are on of the "if it feels good do it crowd".  Most of us are tired of hearing the utter filth some think is ok to be speaking loudly in public.

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