It was with great pride and anticipation that my family attended the graduation ceremony of our daughter last Monday night. We cheered as she entered the gym, watched to see where she would be sitting, and then turned our attention to the opening remarks given by the school board member, Kathy Jones.

My happiness turned quickly to anger and disgust as Ms. Jones proceeded to use the most joyous of occasions to politic about the state of the high school facilities and the upcoming levy. Ms. Jones cited a rather amusing, “You know you are at Oak Harbor High when…” article in the yearbook to promote her cause for passing the next levy. She “apologized” for the contents of the tongue-in-cheek satire as if the objects of the seniors’ comments were her own fault. She commented that if funding for a new stadium was provided, there would no longer be restrictions on the number of tickets issued to each graduate. This is truly absurd. Firstly, in this climate we would be crazy to plan a graduation outside, and secondly, the new stadium would most likely not hold many more people than the gym currently holds.

While I’m not opposed to the levy, and do recognize that repairs/renovations are badly needed; this was neither the time nor the place for her comments. This was the graduates’ moment in the spotlight and Ms. Jones chose to turn their spotlight on herself and her own cause. She took a once in a lifetime experience for them and turned it into a political campaign. In my opinion, Ms. Jones was not only out of line, but extremely unprofessional in her comments. I believe that she owes a real apology to the graduates and their families.

Anita Magorrian

Oak Harbor