Bonny Eagle High School Student Denied Diploma for Blowing a Kiss

I sincerely doubt that this child's actual diploma will be withheld, but I can understand the frustration of this superintendent. I was at a graduation this weekend and watched sundry friends and family members disrupt the ceremony to take pictures, cheer on their own children, and stand up and leave before the ceremony was over. If asked, I am certain that these individuals could all make excuses for their actions and would not see anything wrong with them. I realize that high school isn't on the level of Harvard University, but don't our children deserve a ceremony that is pleasant and memorable for everyone, not just those who behave rudely without consideration for anyone else? Ms. Lukas may have over reacted, but in her defense she warned the graduates that she would not tolerate any fooling around. Mr. Denny may not have considered what he did to be fooling around, but it was. Anything outside of a smile, maybe a polite wave, and a handshake would be fooling around. Maybe this needs to be made clear in a more explicit manner, but one would think that a child would learn the basics of English idiom before completing the twelfth grade.

So you mean to tell me that 4 years previous a student was not allowed to graduate because of beach balls and even though there was a rubber duck being bounced around, this student did not get to graduate because he blew a kiss to his family and pointed at some friends?  The school board should be ashamed of Mrs Suzanne Lukas' decision and as punishment, a public apology should be made by her to this student as well as some sort of disciplinary action. My graduation was full of beach balls and celebration because this is not only an accomplishment of the student, but should feel like an accomplishment to the school faculty as they were successful with yet helping one more child to succeed and graduate.

Here's the superintendent's e-mail address and phone number! suzanne_lukas@sad6.k12.me.us 207-929-9108

Shame on her, in todays society we are finding more and more students dropping out and failing to get their diplomas, so for the few that make, we should commend them. They deserve to mess around a little bit, I think that the superintendent is just a bitch.  I hope she goes to hell and that the school board members all come across horrible and equal karma punishment in the near future.  That poor boy has devoted his whole life to his schoolwork and clearly he did a good enough job to make it this far.  Shame on you school board. Shame on you.

Superintendent Suzanne Lukas needs to have a Psychological Evaluation,it appears she has a mental problem by denying  Justin Denney (or any student)his/her High school Diploma that has been Earned and  by expressing  love and admiration to their Family for their assistance as he/she advanced through the education system thus Graduating.

Superintendent Suzanne Lukas needs to be reported to the School Board and also the US Dept. of Education as well and have all Federal funding to that school Stopped..

I feel that Superintendent Suzanne Lukas had over stepped her bounds. What she did , she should have thought about before doing instead of making skeptical of herself. All that Justin Denney did was show respect when he bowed, and sending a kiss to his family was a thank you for all of their support and to say I LOVE YOU which is something I feel that maybe Suzanne doesn't know. And pointing to his fingers to all of his friends was saying we all make it. And with them he would not have made the honorable walk up  to the stage. And if Justin earned the credits needed to graduate then she had no rights nor is she a GOD to say he could not receive his diploma.My thoughts to the Superintendent is that you better hold on to you hat. because they are going to be a lot of up set people out there for something so childish on your part for any kid to have shown the love and affection for his family and friends you should be ashamed of yourself . Did you think that for one minute that there are not people out there who have the same Affection as Justine has Think again. YOU SHOULD BE FIRED FOR YOUR UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR. I would  think that the high school it self would have been ashamed of themselves for making you the SUPERINTENDENT OF THEIR HIGH SCHOOL.

Superintendent Suzanne Lukas needs to have a Psychological Evaluation,it appears she has a mental problem by denying  Justin Denney (or any student)his/her High school Diploma that has been Earned and  by expressing  love and admiration to their Family for their assistance as he/she advanced through the education system thus Graduating.

Superintendent Suzanne Lukas needs to be reported to the School Board and also the US Dept. of Education as well and have all Federal funding to that school Stopped..

You've gotta be kidding me, I graduated in 01' from a fairly proper and stuffy school.  My friends and classmates were all pretty loud.  I popped one of those party poppers while on stage and the admin got a laugh from it.  Its a freaking graduation, its supposed to be a fun and exciting time.  Give the kid his diploma, he survived 12 grades of hell and is probably about to enter another 4+.  Get a attorney and sue the living heck out of the district, ask them if they'd like to be sued for so much money for emotional distress that they won't be able to hold summer school.

damn commies this country has slowly been going down the s***hole since our last good president jfk was takin away from us its sad to see the country i love home to these horrid characters they smell like used cars salesmen

I think it's been clear that our whole education system is a fraud.  This sort of power abuse is just another example of the corruption (yes this is a form of corruption) that goes on at schools.  It's not just this school, and some students have been punished because their family couldnt keep their excitement down! Just imagine what sort of petty instances do not get reported...Whatever, what a joke.

Anyway, these people (that run our schools and other factions of our every day lives) do not provide education, they provide indoctrination.  They don't want intelligent women and men to graduate, they want able body worker bee's, machines who just obey orders to graduate. 

Has anyone seen the list of rules the students agreed too.  It's one thing to have it listed in plan black and white, "that a student can't perform any jestures while receiving their diploma."  To go off and express a "horrible past experience someone did to you" on someone else on a night they rightfully earned is BULLSHIT!

And you wonder why students bring weapons to school and assault teachers... examples set by the school administration!!!

Wow! this woman is full of herself.  What a horrible example she set for this student and all the others.  When a student graduates, they may thank their teachers and parents; because they are happy to have completed 12 years of school,  honorably.  They certainly don't thank the horrible superintendent for ruining the most important day in their lives, except maybe to blow HER a kiss for allowing them  out of Stalag Bonny High.  What learning took place here.  That Superintendent Bitches can be capricious and arbitrary, we already know that.  Did this supertendent break through the glass ceiling or sleep her way through it. It is obvious that she didn't get it on her own qualifications.   I sure hope she doesn't have a husband or children both would be abused by simply being in her presence.  I hope she gets fired or reassigned to janitor duty to clean up her own messes.

I think this is one of the few times in my life I've seen a forum where 100% of the opinions are on the same side.

Add mine to the list.  Absurd move by the school and confusing the say the least.

I this a Christian Fundementalist school, or something else that explains such stupid behavior?

Let them know how you feel people!



Bonny Eagle High School700 Saco RoadStandish, ME 04084207 - 929 - 3840

Guys, this is a HOAX - no one gets expelled for blowing a kiss.  It's actually illegal to expell someone for that, the ones that supposedly did it to the kiss would have already been put in jail and booked for illegal behavior.

I BET IT WAS ONLY BECAUSE HES BLACK

I am military and currently deployed to Iraq and read what happened to Justin Denney. It 100% infuriated me. How in the world can you possibly take what he did as something that shouldnt allow him to graduate? Seriously!

Are you people insane or just plain stupid? He blew a kiss, its not like he brought a gun to school or called in a bomb threat. No wonder kids no a days are doing stuff like that. You make big deals over idiotic stuff. Every last one of you, especially School Superintendent Suzanne Lukas should be fired and people with some damn common sense should be put in your place. You people are pathetic!

These kids are overjoyed with graduating and a little "joking around and playing" should be fine. When I graduated in 1999, there were things we did on graduation day that would curl your toes if you think blowing a kiss is so bad. These kids are normal to want to have some fun. Their lives are just begining and you are setting them down the wrong path by doing what you did to him and the others. These kids learn from you and will remember.

What needs to be done is that someone represting you needs to talk to the media about this and NOT make excuses. Just tell them that you were overreacting and gives these kids their diplomas, they DID earn them, no matter what YOU have to say about it, because apparently they were at the graduation ceremony to graduate.

-SPC Chauvette, Adam

Baghdad, Iraq

Thank the Lord that I grew up the bass-ackward state of Georgia where school administrators don't act like the power-consumed child that Suzanne Lukas is.....remind you of anyone? Hint: Kim Jong-il, the moronic, idiotic leader of North Korea.

Ms. Lukas, you are a blight on America. You are what is WRONG with America. And an apology to young Mr. Denney will never be enough to replace the wonderful memory of graduation he should have had.

Shame, shame, shame on you, Ms. Lukas!

A son blowing a kiss is saying if it wasnt for mom he wouldnt be here today.The school should be embarred and something should be done.The mother needs to sue the school for embarssing her and her son like this.Most kids dont make it to 12th grade its suppose to be a happy day for him something should be done.

wow  what a worthless bitch.  find someone else to exercise your powerhappy ass on. 

Are we still living in those old dark colonial days? Lord have mercy on us, and save our children from these kind of beasts! I would be happy,excited and proud of such an achievement especially if i made it under such kind of teachers! I would scream, i have been relieved, its over being with colonials! I am posting in support of this family

Wow... and I thought my high school graduation ceremony had some intolerable behavior. Poor kid. Ms. Lukas is an embarrassment to her school district as well as her community!!!

For the treatment he got, Justin may as well have flipped off the entire crowd and said "fuck it- I'm out!!!".

Bleh to the disgraceful Ms. Lukas!

Seriously, what is wrong with society? That kid did nothing wrong. I think the parents should lawyer up  and sue the school board.  That school board administration should get in check with reality. Since when is it against the rules to act kindly to your parents on a very important day for the student and the family.

This administrtor's actions are most likely a result of ultra-sensitivity towards what is seen as a threat to the public school system- disobedience. This rule by iron fist mentality displayed  by administrator Suzanne Lukas is regrettable and calls into question whether such a hardline approach is effective in the first place. Judging by the public outcry, one would have to say no. The degree of public humiliation inflicted on this young man just doesn't fit the so-called infraction. The school and Ms. Lukas accomplished little with their actions other than to humiliate their school and student body on a national level. For that they should be ashamed.  I feel sorry for Justin and his family and they deserve a public apology.