Change meets graduation tradition

By Neil Nisperos 

Staff Writer

CHINO -- Some parents object to Chino High School principal Adam Bailey's plan to modify the school's traditional graduation by not having honor students sit in the front rows.

Bailey said he believes his plan -- which would have students sit in alphabetical order -- brings more equity to the proceedings. 

But parents of some honor students said the new plan would deny high-achieving students the recognition they deserve.

School officials have not finalized the plan.

"Your child works and struggles, not just in high school, but from kindergarten and first grade," parent Laurie Antocicco said. "You have students make the effort to get in their homework, and this is doing a disservice to those kids who put in that effort ... I don't think it's fair to take a handful of students' opinions and have it affect 200 honors students."

Bailey said he based his plan on a philosophy of treating all students equally. 

"I wanted to do is make our graduation look like the campus has equal access, and no students are put in front of everybody else," Bailey said. "We believe putting one group of students ahead of other students doesn't match with that philosophy."

Parent Patricia Rodriguez said she believes Bailey is doing what he considers to be equitable, but disagrees with his plan.

"I know that all of his decisions and judgments are being made with the well-being of the students in mind, but it doesn't mean I agree with it all the time," Rodriguez said.

The driving force behind the plan was non-honors students and parents who asked why one group of students sat ahead of other students at graduation, Bailey said.

"Our philosophy at Chino High is that every student can succeed, but at graduation, when you have one group sitting in front of another, it just doesn't jive," Bailey said.

"I believe that the honors students deserve recognition and they get that through events and regalia, but I don't think graduation should be a place where one group is ahead of another group."

Bailey said he wants the decision-making process to be open and transparent.

"We want to do this in an open and equitable way," he said. "We're not changing this at the last minute, so we're trying to get everybody's perspective on the philosophy to go that direction and not go into it with an authoritative manner."

Antocicco said opposition toward the plan is strong and she does not believe she is in the minority.

"This is an institution of education," she said. "This isn't any other competition, and if you excel at education, then it's appropriate at the end point at the finale, you get recognized for all your hard work."

The matter is expected to be addressed at a town hall meeting. The next Chino High town hall meeting is set at 6 p.m.  on Dec. 16 in the the school's multipurpose room. Chino High is at 5472 Park Place.