A Walk to Remember
BISD holds special graduation ceremony
By Lori Mellinger Bullard Banner News

Chris Manning and his father embrace after Manning receives his diploma last week.

Chris Manning finally wore his cap and gown.

The Bullard graduate - who along with six others wasn't allowed to walk the stage at Bullard's May ceremony - donned the outfit for a special ceremony honoring their official graduation.

Manning and fellow grad Kristof Villanueva were the only two who were able to attend.

Newly named high school principal Scott Franks spoke at the ceremony, beginning with a quote from renowned scientist Marie Curie.

"The way of progress is neither swift nor easy," he said, just before the graduates received their diplomas.

Franks congratulated the graduates on their accomplishments, and said, "Although education does not promise success it does make it easier."

Parent Wanda Bailey was also in attendance. She's been in the spotlight over the graduates since May when she first pleaded with the board to allow the six to walk - one of them being her daughter Ashley.

Ashley passed, but she was unable to attend the ceremony.

-- Bullard Banner photos by Kelly Griffith Above, Chris Manning receives his diploma from Bullard High School Principal Scott Franks. Below, Kristof Villanueva hugs his father once receiving his diploma.

The board - after nixing Wanda's request - also voted in July not to change the policy allowing stu-

-dents to walk the stage if they've not passed the TAKS.

As it stands, students must pass local and state requirements to participate in graduation, a move that didn't sit well with the students, some parents and even some board members.

But trustee Paul Stone said it's best for the district.

At the June meeting, Superintendent Jim Wright said it boils down to what standards you want for the students, and Stone agreed.

"We don't want to be in a state of mediocrity," he said.

Stone - in a May board meeting - asked the students why they'd waited so long to approach the board with the request to walk the stage.

Ashley said the reason for that was simple. She and the other students waiting for their last test results to come in before they asked.

"I failed the science portion five times," she said in an earlier interview. "I studied the study guide given to me by school administrators and I studied the 2006 test."

Ashley said that science tutorials were available on campus, but they were for actual science class - not TAKS preparation.

"We were told if we studied the 2006 test, we'd pass," she said.

That wasn't the case.

But the six, according to Wanda were finally given what they needed over the summer and passed the TAKS in July.

"My heart was broken when I wasn't allowed to walk the stage with the people I had been going to school with for 13 years, but now it's just a bump in the road," Ashley said. "I've moved on."

The students attended summer TAKS prep classes four days a week, for four hours and also studied at home.

"Ashley didn't get the science prep she needed to pass that portion of the TAKS," Wanda said. "But I believe that's changed.

"It's too late for my daughter, but I have a son in high school, and I know many other children that I don't want to see this happen to."

In July, BISD trustee John Alexander's motion to change the district policy on graduation was defeated. Sam Smith voted with Alexander - Michael Roy, Paul Stone, Doug Dotson and Tony Johnson voted against it.

Alexander's motion would have allowed students who had met district requirements but had yet to pass the state-required TAKS - to participate in graduation ceremonies but withhold the diploma until state requirements were met.

"It's difficult for me to understand - when we ask our kids to strive for higher and elevated goals like college - that we as a district can't change a policy that would reflect those policies of institutions of higher learning," Alexander said after the meeting. "I cannot see how changing one policy could affect the standards of our kids."

Board president Michael Roy disagreed when canvassed before the vote.

"We have good standards now, and we need to keep them that way," Roy said. "If we change the policy, we would have students saying, 'Let's go to Bullard because we don't have to pass TAKS.'"

Smith said that's not true at all.

"This has nothing to do with lowering standards," Smith said. "It's not an issue of getting a diploma as every kid is still required to pass all state requirements, it's a ceremonial issue, period. There were six students that were not allowed to participate this year and all it did was single them out and place them in a situation where they could be embarrassed, and that's wrong."

The issue at hand, Smith said, was empathy.

"The job of a school board is to represent its constituents and put parameters in place to nurture these kids" he said. "We have to ask ourselves if we are nurturing our kids by excluding them?" Smith said the policy was written 12 years ago, and with all the changes in the state's testing requirements made during this same period, not constantly rethinking policy to be in line with these changes would be a mistake.

Stone's argument was quite the opposite.

"It's hard to argue with Sam when he asked, "Who does it hurt?" Stone said. "To answer that, I would say it diminishes the accomplishments of those students who reached the ultimate goal.

"Graduation ceremonies should be for graduates," Stone said.

Alexander said even state agencies had a different take on graduation.

"When we went to school board training, the Texas Education Agency's spokesperson - over and over - defined graduation as a social event."

Also at the July meeting Alexander thanked Wanda - who spoke in the open forum portion of the meeting - both thanking the board for hearing her request in May and for the myriad and comprehensive help her daughter and the others taking summer tutorials are receiving under the guidance of Franks.

"I fought for what I believed in, and if it's helped one child, then I'm happy," Bailey said, after the July board meeting. "My hope now is that this doesn't happen to future kids - that they get the tools they need to succeed at the test.

"One thing Mr. Franks did to help my child was he got her the help she had been looking for. Ashley and her fellow classmates attended summer tutorials at Bullard. They got individual help and their weaknesses were worked on. So if I accomplished that for our students, then all the controversy was worth it. Although they did not get to celebrate in May graduation ceremonies - I believe that graduation is just that - a ceremony to celebrate the end to a chapter in your life."

Friends and family turned out for the August ceremony, helping the two who attended celebrate.

The other graduates are: Michael Cain - who is currently serving in U.S. Navy, Victoria Maraggia and Alex Ruark.