Why is the flag banned in school class pictures?

[honeychile]

Originally posted by 33girl
I don't understand the whole concept of posing with ANYTHING, be it your gun, your pompoms or your saxophone...I would think it would make the yearbook look really busy and crowded unless they crop the pics to just show everyone's face. We could get pics done elsewhere but the one in the yearbook had to be a traditional shot by the official photographer.

Our church directory photos even contain "things that are special to you". I happen to agree with you, it makes the book looks busy.

[AGDee]

As for the flag thing.. if they said no props at all, then that's different than saying "any prop, just no flags". It sounds like the school administrator who was interviewed said "no props".

As for the gun thing... I guess I'm old fashioned, but what ever happened to senior pictures being young men and women dressed in their "Sunday best" in a conservative head and shoulders pose for the yearbook? Back in my day, if they weren't all standardized, same amount of head and shoulders, head facing the same direction if turned, or straight on if not turned, they all had to be the same. There was one shot that was "the yearbook shot" and the rest were up to you to purchase. The school picked the yearbook shot though. It was necessary to win any of the yearbook awards because they looked for a professional uniform appearance. I hate these casual senior pics of kids in jeans, or sports uniforms, etc. Of course, that's totally my opinion and I'm sure many will disagree. I'm traditional in some ways.

Dee

[preciousjeni]

Originally posted by AGDee
As for the flag thing.. if they said no props at all, then that's different than saying "any prop, just no flags". It sounds like the school administrator who was interviewed said "no props".

Cosign

[Taualumna]

Originally posted by AGDee


As for the gun thing... I guess I'm old fashioned, but what ever happened to senior pictures being young men and women dressed in their "Sunday best" in a conservative head and shoulders pose for the yearbook? Back in my day, if they weren't all standardized, same amount of head and shoulders, head facing the same direction if turned, or straight on if not turned, they all had to be the same. There was one shot that was "the yearbook shot" and the rest were up to you to purchase. The school picked the yearbook shot though. It was necessary to win any of the yearbook awards because they looked for a professional uniform appearance. I hate these casual senior pics of kids in jeans, or sports uniforms, etc. Of course, that's totally my opinion and I'm sure many will disagree. I'm traditional in some ways.

Dee

Dee

I agree with my sister! I was surprised when I read that the kids were allowed to choose their senior pics. At my school, the grad pic that appears in the yearbook also ends up in the class composite that is in the alumnae hallway. We got to pick the picture that we wanted in the yearbook (as well as those we wanted to buy). We also had a "Wall of Shame" in our sitting area where we can post our ugliest shots-LOL

Originally posted by cash78mere
i don't know anything about the flag thing. i'd be interested to learn why they can't have flags.

but with regards to the gun...you gotta be kidding. with all that is going on with school violence like columbine, and they're going to have a kid pose with a gun? no way. i don't care how innocent the picture it. it sets a precedent. how can you say no if you've said yes once in the past? you can't. you have to stop it before it starts.

Ok, by that rationale, all high school libraries need to purged of any books that might have the word, or reference any word, related to guns. That goes for dictionaries, encyclopedias, archived newspapers, Field and Stream magazines, that's it, it's all got to go.

Seriously, the guy's posing with something that he enjoys doing and appears as if he knows the proper way to handle firearms. I have no problem with it. So, just because their school yearbook allows such pictures his should be included.

As far as the bemoaning of Senior Pictures. They are HS senior pictures. Seriously. I'm willing to bet that people that truly care about having serious photography done are the kind of people that will be then taking pictures for Rush, composite pictures, formal sittings for resumes, COLLEGE graduation pictures, etc.

KS 361

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Pike1483
What precedent does this set? It's not like he's got an assault rifle and dressed in a black trenchcoat, he just got his senior picture that shows one of his hobbies.

It's called the second ammendment-- get used to it.

AT least learn how to spell Amendment, for the love of God. And it says "right to bear arms," not "right to have a shotgun in your senior photo."

I actually don't think there's anything wrong with that in the senior photo though, my yearbook has kids with guns, kids with cows, I'm pretty sure mine was with my dog...and like Kitso said, there's going to be plenty of other opportunities to have photos taken.

As for the flag thing - no props = no props, and I doubt these kids carry flags around on a regular basis.

[cash78mere]

i stand by my belief---no guns.

how would people feel if they looked back at the columbine yearbook and saw those 2 killers posing with their guns? i doubt everyone would be so sympathetic.

i wasn't saying that it was comparable to columbine. obviously it's not. but kids in high school posing with guns is just not cool. we live in a different world than even 10 years ago.

maybe it's because i live in the suburbs--no cows or skeet shooting here. to pose with a gun, or anything else, while in high school is just ridiculous around here. i've never even seen that.

if it's a picture of the skeet shooting team, then by all means hold the guns. but not in a senior picture. it's tacky as all hell as well.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by cash78mere
i stand by my belief---no guns.

how would people feel if they looked back at the columbine yearbook and saw those 2 killers posing with their guns? i doubt everyone would be so sympathetic.

i wasn't saying that it was comparable to columbine. obviously it's not. but kids in high school posing with guns is just not cool. we live in a different world than even 10 years ago.

maybe it's because i live in the suburbs--no cows or skeet shooting here. to pose with a gun, or anything else, while in high school is just ridiculous around here. i've never even seen that.

if it's a picture of the skeet shooting team, then by all means hold the guns. but not in a senior picture. it's tacky as all hell as well.

This is a little ridiculous. I grew up in the suburbs, and went to a high school that couldn't have been more like Columbine without being it. My senior year boyfriend, the child of a chemical engineer and a chef, shot skeet at least once a week. He belonged to a gun club, as did most of the other affluent families in our town.

The guy I'm seeing now is an attorney. He belongs to a gun club too.

I'd be concerned if the kid was wearing a trenchcoat and holding an Uzi. This isn't any different than an archer, to me, and I doubt anybody would be upset by a bow and arrow in the yearbook.

[honeychile]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
This is a little ridiculous. I grew up in the suburbs, and went to a high school that couldn't have been more like Columbine without being it. My senior year boyfriend, the child of a chemical engineer and a chef, shot skeet at least once a week. He belonged to a gun club, as did most of the other affluent families in our town.

The guy I'm seeing now is an attorney. He belongs to a gun club too.

I'd be concerned if the kid was wearing a trenchcoat and holding an Uzi. This isn't any different than an archer, to me, and I doubt anybody would be upset by a bow and arrow in the yearbook.

Cosign (except the current guy, that is!).

When I was in high school, the coolest guy was Head of the Gun Club, and my best friend had a major crush on him. We both tried out, just to get to know him better. Needless to say, Heather didn't make the cut, but I did.

I still shoot now and again - my brother has a nice range on his farmette - and am still average in the high 90's. We also practice archery. Why do I have the feeling that if this kid had his picture taken with a bow & quiver, there wouldn't be so much fuss?

[Rudey]

Originally posted by cash78mere
i stand by my belief---no guns.

how would people feel if they looked back at the columbine yearbook and saw those 2 killers posing with their guns? i doubt everyone would be so sympathetic.

i wasn't saying that it was comparable to columbine. obviously it's not. but kids in high school posing with guns is just not cool. we live in a different world than even 10 years ago.

maybe it's because i live in the suburbs--no cows or skeet shooting here. to pose with a gun, or anything else, while in high school is just ridiculous around here. i've never even seen that.

if it's a picture of the skeet shooting team, then by all means hold the guns. but not in a senior picture. it's tacky as all hell as well.

What the hell are you talking about?!? I've lived within New York City, I've lived in the burbs of Long Island in the "nice section", I've lived in the midwest, I've lived in the mideast, and I've lived in Europe, and I've been exposed to guns throughout and it's not some "Evil thing".

And now you're making it an issue of tackiness? Come on.

-Rudey

[ZTAMich]

We had class pictures Tuesday and in the group picture there was a USA flag and a flag for the state of NY too. Proud to stand in front of it.

[moe.ron]

Another article:

Link to the article

Notice the following:

In the last few years, American flags have been visible in the SVHS senior photo. However, there have also been tense conflicts each year over students brandishing different flags, waving banners, toting blow-up dolls or wearing inappropriate clothing with tobacco- or alcohol-related logos. In response, this year the administration put a blanket ban on all props and costumes so there would be no room for argument.

"The staff wanted to have a photograph that focused on the students, not props," said District Superintendent Kim Jamieson. "This issue was not about the American flag or political correctness; it was about decorum and comportment."

Tyler said Gingrich did not contact school administrators to get their side of the story, nor was there any need to. He said the students were 100 percent right.

Henderson confirmed that only a handful have actually contacted school officials to ask what happened.

"Very few people out there screaming have actually come in to find out the facts," said Henderson.

[cash78mere]

Originally posted by Rudey
What the hell are you talking about?!? I've lived within New York City, I've lived in the burbs of Long Island in the "nice section", I've lived in the midwest, I've lived in the mideast, and I've lived in Europe, and I've been exposed to guns throughout and it's not some "Evil thing".

And now you're making it an issue of tackiness? Come on.

-Rudey

and what the hell are you talking about? i live on long island, and i've never seen anyone pose with a gun for their senior portrait. there's no such thing as the "nice section" by the way....95 percent of long island would be considered "nice". i never said guns are evil. you like to put words in people's mouths. i think guns are necessary, just not in a senior portrait with all that goes on in the world.

and yeah, it's completely tacky. just pose. you don't need a freaking prop of any kind. no gun, no rose, no cheerleading pom pom...

everyone has their own opinions. i believe the school is correct in not allowing it. if you feel they're not, then hey...that's your belief.

[Rio_Kohitsuji]

I still dont' see why the school is getting all uppity about the damn gun. Heck, the majority of the pics in my high school year book had guns, deer heads, and confederate flags in the background.

[Rudey]

Originally posted by cash78mere
and what the hell are you talking about? i live on long island, and i've never seen anyone pose with a gun for their senior portrait. there's no such thing as the "nice section" by the way....95 percent of long island would be considered "nice". i never said guns are evil. you like to put words in people's mouths. i think guns are necessary, just not in a senior portrait with all that goes on in the world.

and yeah, it's completely tacky. just pose. you don't need a freaking prop of any kind. no gun, no rose, no cheerleading pom pom...

everyone has their own opinions. i believe the school is correct in not allowing it. if you feel they're not, then hey...that's your belief.

No hun, if you don't know what the "nice" section of long island is, then you really aren't in it.

Don't talk about tacky. I find quite a bit of what you say to be tacky. Of course it isn't nice to pass judgements so, really, stop telling people what's tacky and not.

Furthermore, if you can't read, don't be a teacher. I didn't say people in long island pose with guns in their senior photos.

You also didn't say that it was inappropriate. You essentially linked something like this to Columbine and brought up "tackiness". Give me a break and go miseducate your classroom; hopefully those kids will be forutnate enough to have tutors to augment what you're depriving them of.

-Rudey