Yearbook trouble leads to changes

Irma Lemus

MAGNOLIA PARK -- An apparent marijuana cigarette inserted in a picture

in the John Burroughs High School yearbook and other “hidden” messages

are being called offensive by some students and parents and forcing the

district to change the way it produces the publications.

Calling the “Akela 2000” a disgrace, Burroughs freshman Michelle

Surplice said the yearbook staff and administrators should be held

accountable for the pranks.

“I paid a lot of money for the yearbook and it should be better

quality,” Michelle said. Many of the comments targeted groups on campus.

“If I were in these clubs I would be really offended. They’ve ruined

our yearbook,” Michelle said.

Michelle’s mom, Laurene Surplice, agreed.

“This isn’t funny. We put trust in our yearbooks and teachers should

really look at them and catch this stuff,” she said.

Michelle and other students paid between $52 and $55 for the yearbook

the first week of June when they were distributed.

The revelations about the Burroughs yearbook follow a controversy

about an allegedly racial statement made by a Burbank High School student

in the “Ceralbus 2000” yearbook. Under his senior picture, the student

wrote “There is nothing better than white bread,” which other students

and teachers said was racially motivated and offensive.

District officials said problems with both high school yearbooks have

led them to reexamine how the volumes are put together.

Assistant Supt. Gregory Bowman said the district is taking the matter

seriously.

“We know that yearbooks are important for students and parents.

They’re something that people treasure and we don’t want anything that is

offensive getting in there,” Bowman said.

The district will be working with high school administrators to

establish an editorial review board beginning in the 2000-2001 school

year to help prevent offensive comments from making it into print, Bowman

said.

CHANGES AHEAD

A member of the school’s journalism program, Michelle, 14, said she

was especially insulted by the pages of the yearbook dedicated to the

Burroughs newspaper, Smoke Signal.

“This is something that people keep forever,” said Michelle, who was

angry about the photograph on Page 117 in which an item that appears to

be a marijuana cigarette is inserted into a journalism student’s hand.

Other pranks in the photo include a book on the desk labeled “How To

Lie,” as well as posters in the background with negative remarks about

the school newspaper.

“These days students are so technology savvy that they are capable of

doing a number on us,” said Burroughs Co-principal Emilio Urioste.

Urioste said he had spoken with the yearbook students who were

responsible for the pranks and their parents. He said the students were

reprimanded but declined to say how.

He did point out that only a small number of yearbook students from

the staff of 30 or so were responsible for the pranks. The students

compile information, takes pictures and write for the yearbook.

Unlike at Burbank High School, Burroughs’s principals did not review

the yearbook before it was published, Urioste said. He said the faculty

advisor, Tim Brehm, reviewed the yearbook.

Brehm could not be reached for comment. Urioste said the advisor was

not at fault.

“It’s hard to catch stuff. If a student wanted he could go into the

disk and change stuff without the teacher finding out,” said Urioste.

The principal said that beginning next school year, students on the

yearbook staff will be required to sign a contract explaining their legal

rights in the publication process. Parents will be sent a copy of the

contract.

HIDDEN MESSAGES

Some other comments that have gotten attention in the Burroughs

yearbook:

On Page 96, which is dedicated to student government, the first letter

of each paragraph lines up to spell out the message “ASB is power happy.”

On Page 128, which is dedicated to the Burroughs band, the first

letter of each paragraph lines up to read, “Band is the nerd club.”

Another hidden message appears on the choir page. In that instance the

first letter of each line refers to a student as a “gay cock.”