The administration at Ridgewood High School in the Chicago suburb of Norridge, has “re-thought” their decision to initially deny the entire senior class of 2014 their diplomas after many threw their caps in the air at the graduation ceremony.
The graduates were instructed repeatedly, "Please do not throw the caps or there will be consequences."
The Chicago Tribune reports that after the punishment was given, Ridgewood’s website told graduates they had to pick student representatives to “apologize to the school’s board of trustees for their ‘disrespectful and insubordinate behavior,’” in order to receive their diplomas.
Several students spoke to WMAQ NBC 5, to express their dissatisfaction with the administration’s decision. Jackie Rios said, “I just think it's really ridiculous only because we worked so hard to get to this point."
Another senior classmate said, “It wasn’t a way to disrespect anyone it was just in a way where we wanted to do something together and celebrate, like, the end of the year." Parents, like Mary Sticha, support the students. “Oh I love [the graduation cap toss], they do it every year, so I was expecting it and I, it was kind of silly that they would request them not to,” Sticha said.
