My Graduation via the cabin...
I'm not sure if anyone else has, but i just read the article in the Log Cabin Democrat about our graduation ceremony and i am throughly upset. That was a horrible article. I'll put it here in blue, and read it if you havent yet before you read the rest of my journal.
Over capacity
Access to Conway High graduation briefly denied when fire chief declares 'life safety hazard'
By TAMMY KEITH
Log Cabin Staff Writer
Conway High School graduation was either wonderful or horrible, depending on who you talked to Friday night after overcrowding led officials to deny access to the Farris Center for about 10 minutes while they decided what to do with the extra people.
Conway Fire Chief Bart Castleberry said there were probably 7,500 people in the University of Central Arkansas facility that has a capacity of 5,200. There were 534 graduates, and each could receive 10 tickets.
"The school district somehow gave away too many tickets. There were people in the aisles, people in the exits. It wasn't just a fire hazard, it was a life safety hazard. Two people were having medical emergencies and their family was having a hard time getting them through," Castleberry said.
"By the time they started the Pledge of Allegiance, especially the people who were standing in the aisles, the people behind them were hollering for them to sit down, it was really starting to escalate, you know, 'Hey, cowboy, take your hat off,'" he said.
The graduation ceremony began at 7 p.m. and about 7:20 p.m. Castleberry said the doors to the Farris Center were closed while he and other officials "quickly formulated a plan of action."
Castleberry said he talked to people outside and asked if standing three deep against the walls inside would be OK. "One voice said, 'Absolutely," and I said, 'OK, let's go graduate,'" Castleberry said.
Castleberry's son, Tyler, was among the graduates.
Although some people were upset, which Castleberry said he understands, most were cooperative and some relatives helped out by leaving after their student graduated.
Castleberry said school district officials, UCA Police and the Conway Police Department were helpful in managing the situation. Fire Marshal Randy Freeman helped as well.
Reginald Earnest of Conway said the problem was that "some were trying to hold seats." His family members from Louisiana said they noticed it was crowded and wondered aloud why the graduation couldn't be held in the UCA stadium.
Several people mentioned Alltel Arena in Little Rock as a possibility.
A Conway woman walking to her vehicle said, "It was really horrible," but she declined to give her name. She started crying, she said, because it was hard to see. A man with her, Doug, said, "It was crazy. They should have planned better than that."
Sue Tadlock of Conway, a retired educator, called the newspaper after 10 p.m. to express her frustration after attending her grandson's graduation.
She arrived at the event shortly before 7 p.m.
"That was the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed. The program was fine. I can't praise whoever planned the program or the students any more. The facility was ridiculous. They knew they had over 500 graduates in a place that is totally inadequate. It is a disgrace for the school district not to have better provisions. I was embarrassed," Tadlock said.
She said her grandson's other grandmother, who came from Sherwood, was locked out and didn't get to see the graduation.
"I know there were many other people that were turned away."
Tadlock said "someone, somewhere simply could not multiply," because 534 graduate getting 10 tickets was 5,340, which is over the facility's capacity.
Board President Dr. Terry Fiddler, the only school official who could be reached for comment, said, "We're either going to have to limit the number of tickets or move out in the stadium and take our chance on the weather." He said historically each graduate receives 10 tickets.
Fiddler said he would oppose having Conway's graduation in Little Rock. He was on stage during graduation, and he said he noticed "a lot more people down front than I've ever seen.
Amanda Brown of Joplin, Mo., came here to see her cousin, Andrew Hildreth, graduate. Brown said she arrived at 6 p.m. to get a good seat. "People were standing all over the place. Some people couldn't see over them. It was crazy. The security guards did a good job of moving people around. It was packed, though. There were no open seats."
Castleberry said if anyone left, even to go to the restroom, their seat was quickly taken. Attendees also were opening the side doors of the Farris Center and allowing people to come in, Castleberry said.
People who left the auditorium were not allowed to go back inside, he said, unless they had a young child waiting for them. Those people were escorted to their child, he said.
Graduate Spencer Chastain said it was "nervous, because all these people were standing around."
Graduate Billy Bob Elliott said, "I say it's too crowded. We need to move or something."
Graduate Richey Irvin's family was happy with the ceremony.
His mother, Laurie Irvin of Conway, said, "It was awesome and smooth, and he's my first," she said, smiling. She gave a thumbs up to Castleberry for the job he did.
Jean Martin of Kansas City, Mo., one of Richey's two grandmothers who attended, said, "We were impressed. It started on time."
Richey's other grandmother, Barbara Walz of near Kansas City, said, "It was wonderful. I didn't mind at all waiting for every one."
Stephan Harris of Pensacola, Fla., who graduated from CHS in 1986, said he came to see his son, James Veasley, graduate. "It's grown a lot," he said, as he was getting into his car to leave.
Sherrie Harris said they came early to ensure a good seat, because similar situations happen in Virginia, where they recently moved from.
Castleberry said he believed it was still a good ceremony, even with the overcrowding issue.
"If anyone missed their kid's graduation, I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart, but it was a life safety issue," he said.
Castleberry said he and school district officials will talk Monday morning. "We're going to have to come up with a better plan," he said.
"All in all the kids had a graduation, it was a great night. It was still a great event and we're going to work with the school district to make it more accessible."
Being a graduate myself, i was unaware of the overcrowding problem. I did notice that there was a very large number of people in the gym. That they were letting people that didnt appear to be faculty, sit in the area i believed to be the faculty seating, and that people were lined up along the gym floor and that EVERY seat was filled. But my gosh, with 534 Graduates, i kind of expected it. I understand people's frustration with not having seats. I would have been irate also if i showed up for my son or daughter or grandaughters graduation and was told i couldnt enter, even though i had a ticket. I totally understand that. But what idiot on the school board or principle or whoever couldnt do the simple math. Each student is given 10 tickets. 10 times 534 is 5,340! Plus the 534 graduates plus faculty! THAT'S WAY OVER CAPACITY! duh! i mean honestly! they've known all year that we had over fivehundred graduates, why didnt they change where they were having it. Even I realized that the farris center was going to be packed. But i didnt know what the capacity was you know? and i'm not in charge of that, someone in charge should have checked that!
I'm getting off topic. the over crowding is not what i'm upset about. I'm upset about the article. I'm upset that aside from a few quotes from parents or relatives of graduates saying "it was a nice ceremony" there is nothing good about my graduation! They did not mention how nice the graduates looked, they didnt mention the wonderful innvocation and bendiction prayers that were written and read by graduates, they didnt mention the names of the people who did those or lead the pledge. There was no mention of the very humerous speech given by Adam Stengel or the surprised look on Mr. Tyler's face when he heard it. They didnt mention that not one single member of my class did anything goofy or stupid as they walked across the stage. No one faked a fall. No one had "Hi mom" on the top of their mortarboard or wore mickey mouse ears, all things which i have seen at previous graduations. My mom put the article in my room thinking i might want to put it in my scrapbook. I asked her why in the world would i want an article like that, which made my graduation sound aweful to keep as a memory. I cried when i read the article, i feel utterly disgraced. My high school graduation, which is supposed to be one of the most memorable things in my life, was melted down to an overcrowding and a matter of a "life safety hazard" in the eyes of all of faulkner county. I dont think that's fair. To me it was so much more. To me it was an accomplishement of my life. It was 4 years of hard work. It was laughter and friendship, pain and tears, it was memories i'll never forget, classes i almost didnt pass, and people i'll always remember. To me and the other 533 graduates, it will always be so much more than a "life safety hazard".
Over capacity
Access to Conway High graduation briefly denied when fire chief declares 'life safety hazard'
By TAMMY KEITH
Log Cabin Staff Writer
Conway High School graduation was either wonderful or horrible, depending on who you talked to Friday night after overcrowding led officials to deny access to the Farris Center for about 10 minutes while they decided what to do with the extra people.
Conway Fire Chief Bart Castleberry said there were probably 7,500 people in the University of Central Arkansas facility that has a capacity of 5,200. There were 534 graduates, and each could receive 10 tickets.
"The school district somehow gave away too many tickets. There were people in the aisles, people in the exits. It wasn't just a fire hazard, it was a life safety hazard. Two people were having medical emergencies and their family was having a hard time getting them through," Castleberry said.
"By the time they started the Pledge of Allegiance, especially the people who were standing in the aisles, the people behind them were hollering for them to sit down, it was really starting to escalate, you know, 'Hey, cowboy, take your hat off,'" he said.
The graduation ceremony began at 7 p.m. and about 7:20 p.m. Castleberry said the doors to the Farris Center were closed while he and other officials "quickly formulated a plan of action."
Castleberry said he talked to people outside and asked if standing three deep against the walls inside would be OK. "One voice said, 'Absolutely," and I said, 'OK, let's go graduate,'" Castleberry said.
Castleberry's son, Tyler, was among the graduates.
Although some people were upset, which Castleberry said he understands, most were cooperative and some relatives helped out by leaving after their student graduated.
Castleberry said school district officials, UCA Police and the Conway Police Department were helpful in managing the situation. Fire Marshal Randy Freeman helped as well.
Reginald Earnest of Conway said the problem was that "some were trying to hold seats." His family members from Louisiana said they noticed it was crowded and wondered aloud why the graduation couldn't be held in the UCA stadium.
Several people mentioned Alltel Arena in Little Rock as a possibility.
A Conway woman walking to her vehicle said, "It was really horrible," but she declined to give her name. She started crying, she said, because it was hard to see. A man with her, Doug, said, "It was crazy. They should have planned better than that."
Sue Tadlock of Conway, a retired educator, called the newspaper after 10 p.m. to express her frustration after attending her grandson's graduation.
She arrived at the event shortly before 7 p.m.
"That was the most ridiculous thing I have ever witnessed. The program was fine. I can't praise whoever planned the program or the students any more. The facility was ridiculous. They knew they had over 500 graduates in a place that is totally inadequate. It is a disgrace for the school district not to have better provisions. I was embarrassed," Tadlock said.
She said her grandson's other grandmother, who came from Sherwood, was locked out and didn't get to see the graduation.
"I know there were many other people that were turned away."
Tadlock said "someone, somewhere simply could not multiply," because 534 graduate getting 10 tickets was 5,340, which is over the facility's capacity.
Board President Dr. Terry Fiddler, the only school official who could be reached for comment, said, "We're either going to have to limit the number of tickets or move out in the stadium and take our chance on the weather." He said historically each graduate receives 10 tickets.
Fiddler said he would oppose having Conway's graduation in Little Rock. He was on stage during graduation, and he said he noticed "a lot more people down front than I've ever seen.
Amanda Brown of Joplin, Mo., came here to see her cousin, Andrew Hildreth, graduate. Brown said she arrived at 6 p.m. to get a good seat. "People were standing all over the place. Some people couldn't see over them. It was crazy. The security guards did a good job of moving people around. It was packed, though. There were no open seats."
Castleberry said if anyone left, even to go to the restroom, their seat was quickly taken. Attendees also were opening the side doors of the Farris Center and allowing people to come in, Castleberry said.
People who left the auditorium were not allowed to go back inside, he said, unless they had a young child waiting for them. Those people were escorted to their child, he said.
Graduate Spencer Chastain said it was "nervous, because all these people were standing around."
Graduate Billy Bob Elliott said, "I say it's too crowded. We need to move or something."
Graduate Richey Irvin's family was happy with the ceremony.
His mother, Laurie Irvin of Conway, said, "It was awesome and smooth, and he's my first," she said, smiling. She gave a thumbs up to Castleberry for the job he did.
Jean Martin of Kansas City, Mo., one of Richey's two grandmothers who attended, said, "We were impressed. It started on time."
Richey's other grandmother, Barbara Walz of near Kansas City, said, "It was wonderful. I didn't mind at all waiting for every one."
Stephan Harris of Pensacola, Fla., who graduated from CHS in 1986, said he came to see his son, James Veasley, graduate. "It's grown a lot," he said, as he was getting into his car to leave.
Sherrie Harris said they came early to ensure a good seat, because similar situations happen in Virginia, where they recently moved from.
Castleberry said he believed it was still a good ceremony, even with the overcrowding issue.
"If anyone missed their kid's graduation, I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart, but it was a life safety issue," he said.
Castleberry said he and school district officials will talk Monday morning. "We're going to have to come up with a better plan," he said.
"All in all the kids had a graduation, it was a great night. It was still a great event and we're going to work with the school district to make it more accessible."
Being a graduate myself, i was unaware of the overcrowding problem. I did notice that there was a very large number of people in the gym. That they were letting people that didnt appear to be faculty, sit in the area i believed to be the faculty seating, and that people were lined up along the gym floor and that EVERY seat was filled. But my gosh, with 534 Graduates, i kind of expected it. I understand people's frustration with not having seats. I would have been irate also if i showed up for my son or daughter or grandaughters graduation and was told i couldnt enter, even though i had a ticket. I totally understand that. But what idiot on the school board or principle or whoever couldnt do the simple math. Each student is given 10 tickets. 10 times 534 is 5,340! Plus the 534 graduates plus faculty! THAT'S WAY OVER CAPACITY! duh! i mean honestly! they've known all year that we had over fivehundred graduates, why didnt they change where they were having it. Even I realized that the farris center was going to be packed. But i didnt know what the capacity was you know? and i'm not in charge of that, someone in charge should have checked that!
I'm getting off topic. the over crowding is not what i'm upset about. I'm upset about the article. I'm upset that aside from a few quotes from parents or relatives of graduates saying "it was a nice ceremony" there is nothing good about my graduation! They did not mention how nice the graduates looked, they didnt mention the wonderful innvocation and bendiction prayers that were written and read by graduates, they didnt mention the names of the people who did those or lead the pledge. There was no mention of the very humerous speech given by Adam Stengel or the surprised look on Mr. Tyler's face when he heard it. They didnt mention that not one single member of my class did anything goofy or stupid as they walked across the stage. No one faked a fall. No one had "Hi mom" on the top of their mortarboard or wore mickey mouse ears, all things which i have seen at previous graduations. My mom put the article in my room thinking i might want to put it in my scrapbook. I asked her why in the world would i want an article like that, which made my graduation sound aweful to keep as a memory. I cried when i read the article, i feel utterly disgraced. My high school graduation, which is supposed to be one of the most memorable things in my life, was melted down to an overcrowding and a matter of a "life safety hazard" in the eyes of all of faulkner county. I dont think that's fair. To me it was so much more. To me it was an accomplishement of my life. It was 4 years of hard work. It was laughter and friendship, pain and tears, it was memories i'll never forget, classes i almost didnt pass, and people i'll always remember. To me and the other 533 graduates, it will always be so much more than a "life safety hazard".