Stockwell Preparatory Academy

SPELLING SLIP SNARES STUDENT, September 28, 2010, Daily Press & Argus (Livingston County, MI)

Cory Keir was so proud and excited about designing the yearbook cover for Brighton's Charyl Stockwell Preparatory Academy for the 2009-2010 school year that he overlooked one thing.

The 17-year-old Hamburg Township boy misspelled his own school's name, calling it "Shockwell" instead of Stockwell.

He figured he would have to apologize for the mistake, along with the teacher who signed off on the cover, and have to do something to make up for it. After all, he maintained, it was an "honest mistake."

Instead, Keir said he was called down to the principal's office, grilled by school administrators and accused of doing it on purpose.

He said he was suspended for 10 days and initially asked to creatively raise $1,000 for the school…

Donna Diment, Keir's mother, said she met with school administrators two times as well as the school board because she felt the punishment was excessive and didn't like how she and her son were treated. If he had taken a knife to school, she said, she could understand a tough punishment, but not for a spelling mistake.

"I just can't let this go," Diment said. "I felt Shelley Stockwell was a bully. I felt bullied, and I felt my son was bullied."

When she couldn't get the issue resolved or the suspension removed from her son's record, she decided to take the issue to the Daily Press & Argus.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well since you hear the students referring to the school as Shockwell, I am sure it was not an honest mistake. Maybe Mom should teach her son the meaning of honestly. The administration as always been fair. I have a child who's been in trouble more then once at both CSA and CSPA. It's about time we make our children take responsibility for their actions.

Anonymous said...

Lots of crazy punishments occur in this school, while truly punishable behavior gets overlooked. If you take the Stockwell name in vain, you will feel the wrath of Shelley! Look at the boy who made a video on school grounds - apparently broke a rule and was suspended for four days - they other boys involved were all suspended for one day each (none of the boys knew they were breaking a rule). One of the boys said "My school is kind of messed up" and (if you are very familiar with the CSPA uniform) you can recognize the logo on one of the shirts. Yet, on this very same day, a boy in a classroom threw a chair across the room, swore at and showed his middle finger to a teacher and spent only the last hour of the school day in the principle's office. Because HE did NOT put down the Stockwell name.

Nanomaly said...

Are you serious? How can you just conclude that without evidence? As someone who used to go to those godforsaken schools, the administration was more concerned about kids keeping their shirts tucked in than my brother who was being bullied. Get off your high horse already.