Senior’s Satire Has Bite, Delays Diploma

David Graham intended to surprise a few people with his commencement speech at Artesia High School last week.

The 18-year-old felt his classmates deserved more than the usual go-forth-and-conquer message, so he came up with a speech that included these thoughts:

“Your parents and teachers . . . say, ‘You are the future.’ Why do they do this? They’re lazy. You see, they’ve messed up this world, and now they’re making you clean it up.”

“Another lie they’ve told you is that each of you is unique and special. What blatant fiction! You know damn well what conformists you are! . . . Those that are unique or different from you in any way are the ones you pick on and make fun of.”

“Some of you will find out, much to your eternal sorrow, that the world is not Disneyland.”

Graham also called students brain-dead, idiots and clowns, described counselors as inept and accused teachers of being dumber than the students they try to teach. The June 24 speech before 357 graduates and an audience of 4,000, was interrupted several times by applause, laughter and boos.

Note From Principal

The reaction pleased Graham--until the next day, when he dropped by Artesia High to get his diploma. In its place was a note from Principal Joe Quarles. It told Graham he had to see Quarles if he wanted his diploma.

Graham refused, saying Quarles cannot legally withhold his diploma. Graham said he will go to court if the situation isn’t resolved in a couple of weeks.

”. . . he’s trying to use it to manipulate me and step on my constitutional rights,” Graham said. “They teach the First Amendment in social studies classes and now they end up violating it because they’re a little embarrassed.”

School officials say they support Quarles’ position, but are unsure he has the legal authority to withhold Graham’s diploma indefinitely. Quarles says he will stick to his position until told otherwise by ABC Unified School District officials.

Graham was selected as one of three student commencement speakers after auditioning in late May before a committee of teachers and students, as well as Quarles.

Quarles complained that Graham deceived the committee, however, by auditioning a speech that was positive, when the commencement address he delivered was insulting and discredited the school.

Quarles said he will eventually give Graham his diploma, but wants him to learn a lesson from this experience.

“The schools have a responsibility to teach students responsibility. David was given the trust of his classmates, and not only did he misrepresent what they expected him to do, but he was irresponsible in shooting random bullets and hurting and discounting the sincere efforts of a whole lot of dedicated people,” Quarles said.

Based on District Policy

Withholding the diploma was his idea, Quarles said, and he does not believe Graham’s Constitutional rights have been violated. The ABC district, which includes Artesia High, has a policy that allows diplomas to be withheld in certain cases, Quarles said.

Quarles admitted that he may be interpreting district policy too broadly. “The fact of the matter is that eventually, I might have to release the diploma to him.”

Mara Clisby, assistant to the superintendent, said Quarles’ action is allowed under district policy in cases of flagrant misconduct as defined in the state Education Code and that Quarles consulted with his superiors at the district before taking the action. However, the code also says that a parent or guardian must be notified in writing that a diploma is being withheld--an action the district failed to take.

Clisby said Quarles wants to counsel Graham, not punish him.

“If his position at that time would have been punitive, he would have been very careful about those (legal) issues. If it becomes a legal issue, he will release this young man’s diploma,” Clisby said.

Elizabeth Hutcheson, an ABC school board member who attended the Artesia High graduation, said she supports Quarles’ attempt to speak to Graham, but added that the district cannot legally deny him his diploma. “As far as how long the standoff will be, I have no idea. It’s not fruitful to have it go on this long,” she said.

Hutcheson said students appeared saddened by Graham’s speech. “It backfired. It was more like a splash in the face,” she said.

Steve Cizmar, an Artesia High English teacher who served on the committee that chose Graham to be a commencement speaker, said the auditioned speech was satirical and witty, but that the satire was out of control on graduation night. “It was not the same speech we approved,” Cizmar said.

‘Minor Revisions’ Admitted

In an interview Monday, Graham said that 90% of the material in his commencement speech was the same as the material he auditioned, and there were only “minor revisions.” He did not offer a response Tuesday when asked to reconcile that with subsequent comments from Quarles and Cizmar.

Graham said he has no interest in talking to Quarles. “If I was there, I would use the Fifth Amendment and wouldn’t say anything anyway.”

A self-avowed nonconformist, this is not the first time Graham’s outspokenness has gotten him in trouble. In sixth grade, he was beaten up by a gang of boys because “the words he used were too big and they said he was making fun of them,” said Susan Graham, his mother.

Graham was active in the drama club at Artesia High and was a regular performer in the school’s theatrical productions. He plans to attend Long Beach City College this fall and study theater arts.