Advertisement

LJWorld.com weblogs Yes, I did say that!

Posted by DIST May 24, 2010 at 9:12 a.m.

LHS Graduation - "Parents of Calvin, Please Be Sitted"

Where to start, that is the question. I guess with this. Congratulations Class of 2010; we are proud of you!

Lawrence High School (LHS) held its first graduation ceremony in its new multibillion dollar athletic stadium. The ceremony was spectacular. There is room for improvement though; LHS will hopefully make a few changes before the next class graduates.

For the past 900 years LHS has held its graduation ceremonies at Kansas University's Memorial Stadium. This year, the class of 2010 had the privilege of being the first class to walk the track at LHS's Most Memorable Stadium. With over 1000 graduating classes behind them you would think that the combined 1.3 million years of experience that LHS administration has would have been sufficient to make the transition to the new $3.5 billion convertible dome stadium at LHS; it was not. It was an unmitigated disaster for parents, family, and friends. Well, maybe not disaster, but I like putting the words unmitigated and disaster in the same sentence.

What? Why is the title of this blog, "LHS Graduation - Parents of Calvin please be sitted"? Simply put, that headline says it all. You will see in a minute. Now, quit interrupting.

The lack of planning was evident in the fact that the school's officials - all 63 of the Principals, Associate Principals, Assistant Principals, Assistant-Assistant Principals, Principals in Training, and Principals in Fact - forgot that parents like to attend and actually SEE their offspring graduate. The past 935 graduations held at Memorial Stadium took parent and student seating into consideration. Parents sat on the spacious end-field seating with a great view of their young adults. Sunday's ceremony placed the graduates in the main bleachers and left parents scrambling for seats; with over half the attendees having to sit several miles away on the other side of the field. Granted, Memorial has the U-shaped bowl seating; whereas, LHS only has the $5.3 billion hard concrete bleacher style seating. However, this should not have stopped the 82 administrators from asking the two custodians at LHS to set up folding concrete chairs in the middle of the field for the graduates so as to allow viewing of one's offspring from both sides of the stadium. Some parents, the one's with smart kids - the kids that told their parents to arrive the day before and camp out to get a good seat (not my kid, obviously or I wouldn't be whining now) - had good seats on either side of the graduates. The rest of us - those who arrived only a few hours early for a good seat - had to sit on the far side of the $6.1 billion Most Memorable Stadium.

From the far side of the stadium parents were treated to the backsides of all of the speakers. This was difficult. We are used to hearing some of the administrators talk out of their backsides. However, when heard over the public address system, and with only their backsides to look at, new meaning was given to the term. Which brings us to the second point.

The President of the School Board gave a short presentation. His son, one of the 2010 graduates, asked dad to do three things: be brief, be normal, and to not mention his name. Calvin, I am sorry that your dad was not able to meet that condition. I am fairly certain that I would not do that to my son; nor, would I ever do it to the President of the School Board's son. So, once again, Calvin, I offer my sympathy. We know Calvin's dad had a good seat - I spent most of the graduation with Scott Morgan's seat staring at me from across the field. At least I think it was Morgan's seat, it was difficult to see from a vantage point in the next county. My guess is that Kathleen Morgan also had a good seat. I hope Scott used his influence rather than her having to camp out for three nights to get a good seat. Congratulations, Calvin.

Jan Leonard (aka. Ms. Gentry), emceed the events of the day. This was Jan's last LHS graduation ceremony as one of the 93 assistant principals; she will be retiring at the end of this school year. Congratulations, Jan! However, Jan closes the loop on our headline and closes out her decades of high school attendance with her now famous words, "You may be sitted!"

I do sincerely wish all LHS (and that other high school across town) graduates the best life has to offer. Congratulations Class of 2010. Also, I extend a sincere thank you and congratulations to Jan Leonard for her hard work and retirement. My condolences to Calvin; you can pick your friends, but you are stuck with your relatives.

Yet, I do chastise LHS and ask them to get their - let's see, with Jan gone, that leaves 62 principals and 1 million years of combined service - get their act together before the next graduation. Put the graduates in the middle so everyone will have an equally poor view. Do the same with the stage and set it to face the graduates. Trust me, we would rather see the dignitaries' sides than their backsides.

"Parents of Calvin, please be sitted - in the good seats!"

godaddy analytics

Sending a Private Message to Did_I_say_that, regarding the content of this blog, provides consent to use the content of the message.


Did_I_say_that can be Emailed here.

Visit Did_I_say_that's Blog Entries

Comments

LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

  1. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    Nicely done DIST!

    but you know, there is some honesty there. yes, I said honesty: in forcing you to listen to them from their backsides, aren't they kinda admitting that they're speaking from there anyway?

    and I hope you were properly "sitted" when you wrote this blog.

    btw, some of us call that "lionsbowl" or "Svenway Park."

  2. Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…

    I am personally quite disappointed by these comments for making fun of a graduating student, regardless of the respective opinions about this student's father's position regarding community issues which inevitably were not easy to solve.

    The blog is shameful, as well as their respective comments.

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      B_C

      The fun made of the graduating student was by his father in a rather humorous speech by Scott Morgan.

      The point of the writing was to show the awful planning of an important event by the school. It is obvious that there was more import put upon the "first ever graduation ceremony in the new stadium" than in the importance of the event to the students, parents, family, and friends. In short, the event was planned to showcase the stadium - not for those attending.

    2. OldEnuf2BYurDad (anonymous) replies…

      You, my good man, are incorrect.

    3. iamtired (anonymous) replies…

      Did you read the blog, Boston? It was about an individual's experience at the LHS graduation. It was not about Morgan's inability to lead or manage. The humor, irony, and sarcasm made it an interesting read.

      Where do you get that the comments were making fun of a graduating student?

  3. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    The President of the School Board gave a short presentation. His son, one of the 2010 graduates, asked dad to do three things: be brief, be normal, and
    to not mention his name. Calvin, I am sorry that your dad was not able to meet that condition. I am fairly certain that I would not do that to my son;
    nor, would I ever do it to the President of the School Board's son. So, once again, Calvin, I offer my sympathy. We know Calvin's dad had a good seat -
    I spent most of the graduation with Scott Morgan's seat staring at me from across the field. At least I think it was Morgan's seat, it was difficult to

    ---Does not look like poking fun at a graduate. I read it at face value: DIST expresses sympathy for the son being singled out by his dad.

    ***
    also DIST,
    looks like you had a little fun with numbers, too.

    you forgot to complain about drainage, the astroturf, the lights, the bathrooms, the parking, the tennis courts, the parking, the drainage,the astroturf, the bathrooms, the neighborhood agitation, oh and the lights. ...

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      I would have mentioned the bathrooms, but there were none to mention.

  4. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    judging by BC's tantrum [see other thread] and his PM to me, it seems he might be purposely misreading this blog.
    he and Scott Morgan might just be buddy-buddy?

    I have good reasons to dislike Scott Morgan that far predate the current school district woes.

  5. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    again for BC's benefit:
    "I am fairly certain that I would not do that to my son;
    nor, would I ever do it to the President of the School Board's son. So, once again, Calvin, I offer my sympathy. "

    now BC, unless you have some secret insight into DIST's psyche, and he's been a straight-up guy till now, this sure looks like concern *for the grad* you claim to be concerned about, or is your actual worry for Scott Morgan?

  6. RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

    Wait a minute! What other high school?? Somethin' goin' on here I ain't been told about?

    Anyway, congratulations to ALL graduates in Lawrence, in Douglas county, and in all of Kansas! You have all worked hard for it and deserve to be recognized.

  7. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    DIST,
    it is worth noting:
    if your blog were so offensive, it would've been yanked by admin. they've done it before.

    sadly some posters, particularly two of them, like to be bullies.

    when I raised questions about the rush to get out the H1N1 vax, BC got all hyperventilated and purposely misrepresented what I had said.
    oh and now it seems I was right to question. with how H1N1 didn't hapen, more people had vaccine side-effects than those who hadH1N1 issues.

    *again DidI,
    I thought this blog was rather well written. and you sure didn't deserve any of the hassel.

  8. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    indeed,
    congratulations to the grads! they're the real stars.

  9. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    DIST,
    note my recent blog. according to one female poster, most men are pigs.

    and of course DIST, for making such humor [in your blog] at a special occasion, you sir are obviously a pig.

    just be aware of this my friend.

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      Obviously, she is misinformed; which, really only harms her.

  10. gatekeeper (anonymous) says…

    You're lucky you were able to get into the stadium. Go try to see someone graduate in Ottawa. They have seating for a few people. The rest hang out around the school, hoping maybe they get to hear their kid's name called.

    1. iamtired (anonymous) replies…

      I think it might be time to consider using admission passes. Maybe three per student for the good seating; another 3 or 4 for the cheap seats. Those without tickets could be offered standing room.

  11. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    Wow Gatekeeper,
    that really sucks!

    ***
    oh DIST I forgot to respond. "bathrooms, we don't need no stinkin' bathrooms!"
    I thought they had those *accessible* portapotties. you mean they didn't even have them there for the big occasion?

  12. Ricky_Vaughn (anonymous) says…

    Why not write to the school board/school administrators instead of posting this passive-aggressive pile of doo?

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      And you think I have not done so ... why?

      To answer your question; the school board addressed this last night during their meeting. Here are the http://twitter.com/LJWorld/ljworld6news tweets from the meeting:

      LJW6NewsEduNews Regarding graduation, Supt Rick Doll says district couldn't put chairs on turf, bec it would have damaged the field. #ljw
      about 21 hours ago via TweetDeck

      LJW6NewsEduNews In prez report, Scott Morgan says HS graduation ceremonies went well, may have some future changes to seating at Free State. #ljw

      In other words: they were there and had no clue. When community members wrote them with concerns, the concerns were dismissed.

      Finally, this was a tongue-in-cheek approach to making a point that had many people upset. Sometimes, humor can dispel some of the anger people have. I am sorry it was lost on you.

      This was not a "pile of doo;" THIS is a pile of doo: http://image44.webshots.com/45/2/96/1...

  13. blue73harley (anonymous) says…

    DIST - I liked it! Sounds like they should consider going back to Memorial Stadium. Our youngest kiddo graduated last year. The graduation ceremony was great. Sure it was hot but we had a great view and good time.

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      I see a solution on the horizon: JumboTron!

  14. Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…

    BG:

    "judging by BC's tantrum [see other thread] and his PM to me, it seems he might be purposely misreading this blog"
    ________

    huh? tantrum? seriously? over-reaction, perhaps? sensitivity to families/youth? Want to seriously talk about the issue?

    probably not.

  15. Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…

    And BG, I have afforded you a privilege that you have chosen to not afford children of elected officials. Think about it.

  16. Pywacket (anonymous) says…

    Hilarious. I love that you were able to channel your frustration into humorous entertainment for the rest of us.

    As for not having a good view of one's graduating senior, I feel your pain. In 2007 and 2008, when my son and daughter (respectively) graduated from LHS, a threat of rain moved graduation from the football stadium into Naismith, and our view of our graduates was less than stellar. We even sat on the opposite side the second year (having learned, we thought, from the first) but still had a lousy view. To add insult to injury, it never actually rained, and both graduations would have been splendid had they been held at the stadium. Oh, well..

    Reserve your spot now for your child's college graduation. And make sure your student attends a college with a strategic placement for camera-wielding parents on graduation day.

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      I was at the 2008 graduation for a foster child. It gets pretty muggy in there as I recall. Allen Field House does leave a lot to be desired when used for ceremonies. There are no good seats for that venue. But, at least it is "the best they can do," and everyone has an equal opportunity to poor seating. The ceremony this year just was not well thought out.

      Thanks for the kind remarks.

  17. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    BC:
    please please please. reread. take off your grumpy shirt. once again I tell you: DIST was *not* poking at or trying to embarrass the grad!

    if you look at what I have posted before, I would've called DIST on such an offensive behavior if I had at all felt that was what was happening.

    I like how you can read DIST's heart, as you go here.

    just read what DIST wrote FGS! my first reading was in that *small* corner of this blog, DIST was embarrassing Scott Morgan for *what he did* to his son!

    besides, if I'm the son and my dad is the big honcho, I know I'd rather not be singled out. singling him out that way was the wrong here and DIST was right to mark it.

    also note BC, you are *the only one* beefing about that small corner of DIST's blog. maybe before you blow a gasket, look yourself in the mirror, take a few deep breaths, and calm down.

  18. bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…

    BC:
    huh? tantrum? seriously? over-reaction, perhaps? sensitivity to families/youth? Want to seriously talk about the issue?

    probably not.

    ---we have discussed it here.

    and as to a care for children of elected officials, please reread my repeated comments above! I am in fact *concerned* for the son, Junior Morgan.

    no, people shouldn't make fun of the Obama's kids, but it is wrong for Mama Obama to publicly state that her *daughters* are fat, their BMI's are too high!
    see the difference now?

    nowhere have I, or DIST, poked fun at the grad.
    it is *you* misreading and refusing to recognize or apologize for it.

    you are the only camper complaining about this and throwing his mashed potatoes.

  19. cg22165 (anonymous) says…

    Well,

    Obviously, they overestimated how many could fit in the seats and underestimated how many would attend. They made mention of the situation during the ceremony; so, they know there was a problem and there's no reason to believe they won't take steps to correct it for next year.

    Regarding "The rest of us - those who arrived only a few hours early for a good seat - had to sit on the far side":
    My family arrived about one hour ahead of the ceremony and all 11 of us got good seats, together; so, I'm not sure what the author is talking about. Granted, if we'd arrived any later, we'd been out of luck.

    It's a beautiful stadium, but I couldn't help wondering if the money to build it could not have been better spent on the education side of things rather than the sports/entertainment side.

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      cg - The writing obviously uses exaggeration to make otherwise valid points. "A few hours early" is an exaggeration, just like the "past 900 years" is an exaggeration of the number of years. Neither, of which change the context or intent of the point being made.

      The fact is LHS administration has years of history upon which to base an estimate of attendance. They failed to use that information to plan well. The 2010 graduation planning centered on the first ever graduation at the new athletic stadium; not the importance of the ceremony itself.

    2. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      cg - The writing obviously uses exaggeration to make otherwise valid points. "A few hours early" is an exaggeration, just like the "past 900 years" is an exaggeration of the number of years. Neither, of which change the context or intent of the point being made.

      The fact is LHS administration has years of history upon which to base an estimate of attendance. They failed to use that information to plan well. The 2010 graduation planning centered on the first ever graduation at the new athletic stadium; not the importance of the ceremony itself.

  20. fuel_for_the_fire (anonymous) says…

    Did_I_say_that: I rarely read blogs on this or any other website. I subscribe to the philosophy regarding blogs that never before have so many people had so little to say to so many people. However, your title peaked my interest.

    I found your blog to be quite hilarious, as it was intended. I also find it funny, but in a sad sort of way, that nobody has commented on the ridiculous grammatical error made by an educational leader.

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      Thank you fuel.

      I was surprised by the lack of comment on the grammatical error also. However, I am just as surprised by how many failed to pick up on the satire.

      1. cg22165 (anonymous) replies…

        Whatever, would the person who has never misspoken while under stress please identify themselves so we can all acknowledge your superiority?

        I see your satire and raise you my sarcasm.

  21. jayhawklawrence (anonymous) says…

    I didn't think this was funny or relevant at all. Sorry. I don't get it.

    I was probably one of the few to attend both the Free State and the LHS events.

    Scott Morgan got more laughs at the Free State event because his delivery was better and most people thought it was very entertaining. At LHS, I thought the key note speakers were distracted or tired. I don't know why it did not come off as well as at Free State.

    The young lady, I believe her name was Joyce, gave one of the best speeches I have ever heard in my life. I understand she is going to major in creative writing. I would say she definitely has the ability and I hope to read one of her books someday.

    This is just high school.

    Why do we always have to criticize our schools so much?

    This article is ridiculous.

  22. fuel_for_the_fire (anonymous) says…

    "My family arrived about one hour ahead of the ceremony and all 11 of us got good seats, together; so, I'm not sure what the author is talking about."

    "Whatever..."

    Your comments are almost as funny, cg22165.

  23. flclhack (Maxwell Butterfield) says…

    I arrived at the graduation with a friend about 20 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to begin. At that point, the bleachers on the opposite side of the field, or the "bad seats", had exactly SIX people sitting in them.

    This means that everybody (albeit six) who sat in the seats with low viewing area arrived to the ceremony with less than 20 minutes to spare. This sounds like a case of poor judgment on the peoples part. It's pretty much common sense that if you don't get to something like this pretty early, you won't get a good vantage point.

    Let it also be noted that I do agree that LHS kind of dropped the ball here. Those seats on the opposite side of the stadium were awful, and they should have planned accordingly. I'm just saying that this blog should be taken with a grain of salt.

    1. Did_I_say_that (DIST) replies…

      Of course it should be taken with a grain of salt; it was written as such. However, it is also full of a lot of truths; one of which is that seating was very poor.

      Your SIX people at 3:40 is way off; however. At 3:40 the West bleachers were full and the East bleachers were between 50 - 75% filled.

Reply 39 comments from DIST Maxwell Butterfield Fuel_for_the_fire Jayhawklawrence Cg22165 and 12 others

Tags

  1. A Poetic License
  2. Behind the Lens
  3. Community news
  4. Education
  5. Kansas politics
  6. Local politics
  7. That's not fair!
  8. Unsolved
Marketplace

Visiting Nurses 785-843-3738

Find more businesses on Marketplace

Arts & Entertainment · Bars · Theatres · Restaurants · Coffeehouses · Libraries · Antiques · Services