Girl Denied Diploma For Dancing Across Graduation Stage

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To say this is eye-rolling is an understatement. A girl in Pennsylvania was denied her high school diploma because she danced across her graduation stage. O-M-G. This kind of thing makes me nuts.

Look, on one hand I get the celebration rule at graduations. I understand that excessive cheering/airhorn blowing/whatever for one graduate, could drown out the announcement of another. Each graduate and his/her family deserve that moment. That being said, what happened to Hafsah Abdur-Rahman at her graduation from The Philadelphia High School For Girls was as unnecessary as it was humiliating.

In the video below, you can see Abdur-Rahman dance across the stage to receive her diploma. Once she arrives at the school principal, she is denied receipt, openly and publicly. The stated rule was families could not cheer or clap when they walk on stage June 9. She said she understood the rules. I guess because the audience laughed at Hafsah, that was deemed a violation of policy.

You've got to be kidding me. When school administrators choose moments like this to flex, all they do is make them and their school look immature and ridiculous. Simultaneously, they are robbing students of their earned and deserved moment in the sun that will never happen again.

Abdur-Rahman is quoted by WPVI as saying, “If they thought that I shouldn’t do the Griddy across the stage and the Girl’s High traditions, nobody should have been able to wave or blow kisses or do period signs, because I feel like that’s the same thing,” she said. “So, I just thought it was really unfair.”

She's right, her school is/was wrong here. Three other girls did not get their diplomas on stage, but all of them did after the ceremony. In an effort (no doubt) to avoid litigation, The School District of Philadelphia issued the following statement: “We apologize to all the families and graduates who were impacted and are further looking into this matter to avoid it happening in the future.”

Too late. Hafsah Abdur-Rahman and all students deserve better. Dancing in joy to receive your high school diploma is not reason for denial of that graduation moment.

List: Top 25 Best High Schools In North Carolina

Choosing the right school for your child can feel like the most important decision in the world. It's a factor in where you purchase a home. Should you shell out the big bucks for private school education? How can you set your child up for success? So many parents stress about these decisions for years and years. Good thing Niche.com is here to help with rankings of schools and universities across the country. They recently released their 2023 rankings of schools. This includes K-12 as well as higher education. You can play around with the filters and view the rankings based on a variety of factors. One of the more intriguing, and important levels of schooling is high school. Preparing for college, gaining admission to the best colleges, and even getting credit hours under your belt is so important. So what are the best high schools in North Carolina? Let's find out.

For this list, we are looking at both public and private schools. The good news the number one spot on this list is a public school. Though it's a specialized one. The rest of the is mainly private schools (and multiple in Charlotte!) with a couple of public schools mixed in. You also will see two Charlotte area public schools in the Top 25. But where did these rankings come from you may ask? According to Niche:

If you're struggling with where to send your child to school hopefully this list will help you narrow it down. These are the 25 best high schools in North Carolina.

25. St. David's School

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Location: Raleigh, NC

Type: Private School

Grades: PK-12

Students: 606

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7:1

High School Girl Denied Diploma For Dancing Across Graduation Stage

To say this is eye-rolling is an understatement. A girl in Pennsylvania was denied her high school diploma because she danced across her graduation stage. O-M-G. This kind of thing…

Charlie & Debbie

List: Top 25 Best High Schools In North Carolina

25. St. David's School

24. Wake NC State University STEM Early College High School

23. Ardrey Kell High School

22. Marvin Ridge High School

21. East Chapel Hill High School

20. Christ School

19. Chapel Hill High School

18. Panther Creek High School

17. William G. Enloe High School

16. Trinity School of Durham & Chapel Hill

15. Green Hope High School

14. Forsyth Country Day School

13. Gaston Day School

12. Greensboro Day School

11. Ravenscroft School

10. Salem Academy

9. Charlotte Latin School

8. Charlotte Country Day School

7. Asheville School

6. Providence Day School

5. Raleigh Charter High School

4. The Early College at Guilford

3. Durham Academy

2. Cary Academy

1. North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

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