Should Mac Hamlin be allowed to wear Marine Corps dress blues
instead of a cap and gown at Hudson High School's commencement ceremony?
HUDSONPATCH.COM - A Hudson High School senior graduated early and is headed to Marine
Corps boot camp. He asked to take part in the school's commencement
ceremonies in June and hoped to wear his Marine Corps dress blues, but
the principal said "no."
Hudson High School
Principal Laura Love told a member of the Class of 2013 that he
wouldn't be allowed to wear a military uniform in the school's
graduation ceremonies in June, according to the student.
Mac Hamlin worked hard to meet all the requirements to earn his
Hudson High diploma a full semester early, and he's set to ship off for
Marine Corps recruit training on Monday. If all goes according to
schedule, he plans to complete boot camp and be back in Hudson for the
June 15 graduation ceremony.
But he won't take part in the ceremony unless he can wear his Marine Corps dress blues.
"If I'm not going to be able to wear my dress blues, I'm just not
going to walk. It's not that important to me," Hamlin said. "It's not
about the clothes, it's about the principle."
Hamlin said he didn't want to make a big deal out of the matter, but
his sister Tiffiny Bradley posted information about it on multiple Twin
Cities media Facebook pages, including KSTP, KARE, WCCO, KMSP, the
Hudson Star-Observer and Hudson Patch.
School Policy
Hamlin said Love gave three reasons last month for not allowing him to wear his uniform in the ceremony.
"She wanted the whole thing to be uniform with all the girls in white
and the boys in blue," Hamlin said. "She wanted the attention to be
about the ceremony, and not so much about other things. And she also
told me that if she started making changes in my case she'd have to do
it for other stuff, like if people wanted to wear different things for
other reasons she would feel like she would have to allow that stuff
too."
The Hudson School District issued the following statement:
Principal Love, district administration, and the Board of
Education highly value military service and the choice of some Hudson
High School graduates to serve our country in this most honorable way.
The "Window of Honor" at the High School, which contains photos of
graduates who served or are currently serving in the military, is a
daily reminder of the value and honor of military service.
The media has released a story about a HHS student who has
graduated early, has enlisted in the Marines, is leaving for basic
training this week, and wants to wear the military uniform instead of
the traditional cap and gown at graduation. In this case, privacy law
restricts the district from identifying or commenting about a
specific student. Therefore, the district's statement must be made in
general terms.
To change a long standing practice such as HHS graduation dress
code standards, a formal written request by a specific member of the
graduating class would need to be submitted to the principal for
consideration. To date, Principal Laura Love has not received a written
request for an exception to the graduation dress code to wear a military
uniform from a specific member of the Class of 2013. Instead, Principal
Love has received questions about the dress code and military attire
from individuals. She has responded based on long standing past practice
and what the high school ceremony represents - a culminating successful
accomplishment of required work during the high school years. If a
written request to the principal for such a change or exception to the
graduation dress code to wear a military uniform is received from a
member of the graduating class, consideration will be made by the Board
of Education since this decision could affect all future graduation
ceremonies.
Love has not yet responded to Patch's request for comment, but the school's website provides the following caps and gowns information for senior students:
Seniors planning to participate in the Commencement Ceremony must
purchase a cap and gown through Jostens. All students must wear the
traditional cap and gown; girls will wear white caps and gowns, and boys
will wear blue caps and gowns. Students will not be able to pick up
their cap and gown if an outstanding balance remains. Please check the
web site at jostens.com if you think you have an outstanding balance.
Military Perspective
Hamlin said his brother walked in his graduation ceremony in an
out-of-state high school, and he had heard that schools in Somerset,
River Falls and Stillwater allowed the practice, but there's at least
one case where the Marine Corps has stepped in to order a Marine to wear
a cap and gown.
In June 2011, North Allegheny Senior High School in
Pennsylvania was put in the same situation when Marine Corps Pvt.
Lindsay Starr, then a 17-year-old and early graduate, asked to take part
in graduation in her dress blues.
Initially the school denied Starr's request citing policy that states
graduates wear a cap and gown. Later, the school changed it's mind and
said it would allow the uniform, but the Marines ordered the graduate to wear a cap and gown for the ceremony. And that's what Starr did.
Hamlin's recruiter, Marine Sgt. Brandon Blazer said the following in a Facebook message:
"While it's unfortunate that Mac cannot walk in his Blue Dress
uniform, the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is worn on the heart of every
Marine who has earned the title. Mac is a gentleman. Smart, tough, and
mature beyond his years with an absolutely professional approach towards
his goals. He is exactly what the Marine Corps is looking for in young
men and women. As a recruiter, these young people were never hard to
find in the Hudson Community. I came to find a lot in common with the
people of the Hudson community: Hard workers who love their families
above all else. A community that never waivers in their support of our
young men and women in uniform. And a community for which these kids
long to return to when their days wearing the uniform are done. A
community they love to call home."
Marine Capt. Ken Kunze, public affairs officer for the Ninth Marine Corps District,
said that it's not uncommon for Marines to wear dress blues for
community events such as high school graduation ceremonies, but he
advised that school policies should be followed.
"If it's the school policy that they all wear caps and gowns, then
obviously we're not going to tell the school that there's a problem with
their policy," Kunze said. "We encourage Marines to follow the rules of
the organization that they're working with, especially when it comes to
community relations events. If there are rules and guidelines that
community events have as far as uniformity and things of that nature,
then we encourage Marines to abide by those rules."
This post was originally published at 7:19 p.m. on March 9,
2013. Comments from Blazer, Kunze and the Hudson School District were
added after this post was first published. This post will continue to be
updated as new information and statements are received.
