For Kaylee Timonet, school was always a place for her to thrive and be a leader especially as the Student Body President of her class, but all that was taken away from her with a simple dance.
On September 30th, while at a party with her mom, Kaylee and her friends were dancing when a DJ filmed them and the video was eventually posted online. Although this video was taken outside of school, and nothing in it associated the school she attended, Kaylee’s principal, Jason St. Pierre took it upon himself to find the video and talk to Kaylee about it. Kaylee was called into his office the following week, and was immediately punished and scrutinized for of her dance because St. Pierre claimed that the dance was “not living in God’s ideals” thus forcing his religion upon the 17-year old. He took away a scholarship Kaylee had worked incredibly hard to achieve, along with taking away her preposition as president. Punishments should never be given for no reason, but unfortunately sometimes they are. For Kaylee Timonet this was the case, and the punishment she received was heightened to an unbelievable extent due to her just enjoying life and having fun. Following receiving this devastating information which could possibly hinder her future, Kaylee used Tik Tok to share her story with the world. Her story immediately received lots of attention spreading it across various new outlets around the country. In response to the outrage among teenagers all over the US, St. Pierre was asked to back down from his position as principal and apologize to Kaylee and her mother for the entire situation. Kaylee’s story has shown teenagers all over the country that there will always be a support system there for them with the help of social media. The extent at which people have come together to back Kaylee has been incredible to see and it shows us the advocacy of the new generation. This entire story makes me realize how powerful our generation is, but it also makes me appreciate the freedom and support from adults that we have at our school.
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Editorial
Dancing - a harmless activity you can do anywhere, with anyone, and at any time. For some, dancing comes as a form of art or expression, but for others, it’s a way to connect and spend time with friends and family. Dancing can be many things, but being the reason for costing your future should not be one of them. For senior Kaylee Timonet of Louisiana,, a video of her dancing with friends at a private party would be the reason she lost her chance at a college scholarship. After her principal, St. Pierre, got a hold of the video, he called her into his office where he chastised her for not living up to “God Ideals.” He proceeded to take away her role as Student Government President and remove the school’s support for her college scholarships. Since then, her story has gone viral across many platforms and news outlets, where she has gained support against her unjust punishment. Fellow classmates have shown support in a protest walkout at school asking to “Let the girl Dance.” After all the backlash with St. Pierre's punishment, he has since given back her position as president and resumed endorsement for her scholarships. Unfortunately, although the situation seems to be resolved, the deadline for Timonet’s scholarship passed before her punishment could be reversed. “Regardless of what the principal thought about Timonet’s dancing, I think his punishment was a step too far,” said Upper School SCA President, Attilio Ciccozzi ‘24. “I myself love dancing," Attilio mentioned, “and I'm glad that if another student or myself were in her position, our North Cross community would have reacted much differently.” Upper School Director Stephen Belderes had a visceral reaction. “This is literally literally the plot of Footloose,” he said. “That's outrageous. It makes no sense.” At North Cross, dances are a key aspect of student life that brings excitement and anticipation all throughout Willis Hall. This October, high schoolers are gearing up for Homecoming week and all the activities associated with it. As we go into Homecoming, we should be glad to be at a school like NCS. |
Editors:Co-Editor-in-Chief: Archives
November 2024
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