The Battle for Shaker Heights
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How one High School student almost got away with leaving a personal touch to his design for his home school’s yearbook.
“Just eight miles from downtown Cleveland, Shaker Heights is a tranquil, yet cosmopolitan and distinctive suburb. The City has a national reputation for excellence in city services, architecture, natural beauty and superior public education.”
This is an excerpt I found on the website for the city of Shaker Heights, Ohio, the setting for the latest national uproar centering around an apologetic yet clever student, a yearbook cover, and the battle for morality within our school system.
Cleveland’s own Fox News Channel 8 was immediately all over this news tidbit, providing the clip provided above and providing several of it’s anchors and news reporters an easy target for a new ratings hound. Reporter Kristy Steeves covered the story of a Shaker Heights High School student, whose identity has not been released to protect him from harrassment, a teen in charge of designing the cover for the ‘08-’09 yearbook who, for reasons unstated, hid a secret message in the jumble of random lines and doodles at the bottom of the book. And when you turn it upside down and use your imagination, you might read the now infamous message stating something to the effect of “F*** All Y’all” or “F*** You All”, depending on the source.
The student, when faced with the consequences of his actions, offered this apology:
I cannot begin to explain the miserable feeling I brought upon myself, when I betrayed the trust of all of you. I apologize for offending anyone and everyone. It is unfortunate that I did not recognize the big responsibility and honor given to me when asked to design the cover of the Shaker Heights yearbook. I offer my sincere apologies.
Of course, the book was hastily yanked from shelves and the hands of students not quick and smart enough to safely hide theirs from school officials. Those teens have a piece of memorabilia to share with their children and grandchildren for their own amusement for many years to come.
If they were smart, they’d wait for the right moment and throw it on e-bay before this publication’s fifteen minutes are up and reap the benefits of feeding the hunger of the countless people who love to collect timepieces that showcase the comedy and drama within every city, town, and high school out there.
Sources Cited:
