High School Valedictorian Denied Diploma After Saying "Hell" in Speech

[KHCast]

and the colleges look at these kind of high school problems and think "is this why we don't get a lot of students going to college?"

I kid not when I say high school is full of hypocrites. this guy probably has said hell more than her. i doubt he's a perfect saint.

i know I said I was going to bed, but this topic needs discussion! it just pains me to think, this girl could change the world for all we know with her dream. but because of one mesely word, she might lose her dream...

Edited August 22, 2012 by Hedgehogs Boost

[Old dead account]

Heh, this wouldn't be as bad as that one time some student made the news when their diploma was witheld for blowing a kiss to their family. But this was the valedictorian. The pride and joy of that school's academics, who probably never even got so much as a tardy or a missed homework, or even a grade below 85% on any assignment in any of her AP/GT classes. And to think their mascot is ironically a devil. It's thing like this that make me wonder if they purposely place people with a high degree of retardation in these high position gov't jobs...

At least it's not another shooting.

[-Mark-]

I've always found it absolutely ridiculous that 'hell' and 'damn' are even considered swearwords at all in the US.

Okay, I know the UK in general is a much less religious/ Christian country in general compared to America, so maybe that's why, but even so. Everyone said damn and hell when I was a kid and adults didn't bat an eyelid. Over here (as far as I know; at least when I was a kid, as I said) the two words were seen as being milder than 'crap', and myself nor anybody I knew ever got told off for it. I don't recall teachers even caring. Again, maybe it's just the circles I've been in, but I've not once been in a situation outside of talking to US friends where either have ever been considered anything other than the mildest of mild.

But again, religious connotations I guess. The school is being pretty damn ironic and hypocritical, what with their logo and all though.

Edited August 22, 2012 by -Mark-

[Da Blu Hedgie]

As a christian and someone who doesn't like to use cuss words, I cannot believe this, wtf, that principle must've been high or something, "Oh no she said hell, well to hell with her, she won't get this f^&*ing diploma if I can't F&*^ing help it," principle of the school that represents hell, but doesn't speak it.

[TheOcelot]

Well "hell," along with "damn," "crap," and "suck". Poor kid.

Well then it's time for operation seize that fucking diploma. Hopefully this can be done with the girl's family swallowing their pride and writing a letter saying: "I am really sorry for saying the 'bad' word' please forgive me it was an honest mistake. I was just over excited I slipped in my speech".

Surely this can be sorted quickly.

Edited August 22, 2012 by MilesKnightwing

[Scott]

WELL, HERE IT IS, PRAGUE HIGH'S MASCOT: THE RED DEVIL.

Reminds me sooooo much of my Dad's tattoo O.o

But yeah, what the actual fuck? I don't see why she just can't right a letter of apology, get the Diploma, once received run up to the person that withheld her from getting hers, move her face closer to there's and with a burst from her mouth, uttering..."HELL" then run away giggling!

[Solkia]

Are you sure she wasn't denied it for quoting Twilight?

[The Weeb with No Name]

And people wonder why I'm agnostic...

...they do?

"Hey Voyant, why are you on the fence about something that nobody whatsoever can possibly ascertain the truth of?"

[-blank-]

Oh my god, seriously? I hate waking up to ridiculous stuff as this. Denying a student her diploma just because she slipped and said a very mild swear word? Hell, I'm actually Catholic and I throw around mild swears all the time - I just did so right now. No one is perfect, and if she did indeed slip, I see no reason for the school to do something like this to her. And that mascot? Yeah, they are pretty much being hypocritical here.

[Abominal SnowTaz]

Okay....so a school that has a devil mascot is getting all panties up about the word "Hell". She's denied her HSD after 4 years hard of work, tough teachers, beating the grading system, and more?

WHAT THE FUCK?

What next America? What the fuck is next? I say 'Damn' in a conversation and National Security rushes in? It's this kind of Shitery that makes me hate living in a country where crazy jackass Christians take religion too far, to the point where people actually want to go to hell.

[...]

All of this because of one mild swear word?

Guess these people forgot about freedom of speech.

[Chaos Warp]

Reason #15321 why I like Canada.

But seriously, what the actual fuck? If I got denied my graduation at my high school in 3 years because I said, "Hell", or Damn" or something in my speech, I would respond to them with a nice, "Fuck You guys". Same amount of fucks I give these guys.

Fuck them.

[Wraith]

I say we organize an effort to storm that school and yell the word Hell at the top of our lungs repeatedly.

[Liliana Vess]

I find it funny that people still overrect about the word "Hell".

I find it amusing that people manage to overrect in general.

My mind is struggling to fathom the level of foolishness at work here, especially given what/who they chose as a mascot. This is completely unnecessary, not to mention unfair.

I say we organize an effort to storm that school and yell the word Hell at the top of our lungs repeatedly.

This...sounds like an absolutely phenomenal idea. Edited August 22, 2012 by Purple Wisp

[BakingBluePotatoe]

........... words cannot explain.

Hell.

[Urban Flow]

I never considered "hell" a curse word anyways. Just how like I don't consider "Damn" one either. Kind of a dumbass reason to not get your diploma regardless of my own thoughts. Also I noticed she got inspired by twilight. Kinda wanted to cringe but hahha that is not important right now xD

[TheNicollette30]

....I go to Catholic school, and my teachers don't care if you curse.

[Barry the Nomad]

Hell and damn ain't swears in my book. One describes a fictional (in my opinion) location and the other is a proper word, like "damnation" or "damning". Sure, there is the argument of how they're used, but they're so tame compared to the real biggies like "fuck" or "shit". I mean, with those you can't work them into a sentence WITHOUT them being swears.

[Solkia]

I could understand them doing this if she told her classmates to GO to hell.

Which I wish I could have done at my graduation.

[DGam'r]

WELL, HERE IT IS, PRAGUE HIGH'S MASCOT: THE RED DEVIL.

And they deny a graduate her diploma over the world "Hell".

YES, THAT MAKES TOTAL SENSE.

Oh my. That doesn't make sense at all. The mascots the devil....she can't say "Hell"? Then the school should change their mascot then

[-Robin-]

I always assumed the devil mascot was just a parody of the actual devil.

Y'know, more like those evil subconscious avatars you supposedly have with an angel avatar representing your good half that you see in cartoons. That episode of Ed, Edd, n' Eddy, Family Guy, The Emperor's New Groove, those things. I never considered it an actual 1:1 representation of Lucifer.

Edited August 23, 2012 by Bobbyjosh

[Shan Zhu]

What I want to know is why no one was there to look over the speech and warn the girl ahead of time. People get into trouble like this all the time, although usually because they want to "thank Jesus for all His help in school" or something illegal like that. Any school that doesn't bother to pre-approve valedictorian speeches is plain irresponsible.

Now if the school did consider the speech ahead of time, and it told her not to use the line, and she did anyway, then... well, maybe the administrators have a case.

Soooooo First Amendment, I summon thee.

First Amendment don't apply when ya got a captive audience )8

Edited August 24, 2012 by Shan Zhu

[NoahTH]

...I'm a christian, and I'm disappointed. It's so sad that lately, these types of idiots give Christians that are tame a bad name. This is stupid. She said 'hell', so what? That does not mean you deny her of a diploma she worked so hard for! That is wrong!

[Shan Zhu]

In further defense of a bad cause, the article did say that the school would release her effective diploma when she apologized. They're just embarrassing her, not ruining her future or laying waste to her hard work.

But that's still not OK, of course, if she wasn't warned ahead of time.

Edited August 23, 2012 by Shan Zhu

[Johnny Boy]

People like the idiots who run that school really make me ashamed to be a christain sometimes. And they really give her shit for saying "hell" but their mascot is the devil himself?! Oh the irony.