NSHS Student Fights to Walk at Graduation
North Side High School’s graduation ceremony began at 6, Tuesday night, but one senior who earned his diploma, could not walk across the stage. The reason? He missed mandatory practice on Friday, but the family says he has a very good reason why. For Theodore Darling, this momentous occasion is momentous for all the wrong reasons. Darling, says, “I want to walk real bad, that made me graduate because I knew I was going to walk across the stage for my family, not only for myself, but for my brothers and sisters.” The only diploma Darling will see on this day, is the one on his graduation cake, because he says the principal at North Side High School will not let him attend his graduation ceremony for missing graduation practice. Tiffani Sims, Darling’s Godmother, adds, “An extreme life and death situation is the reason why he missed this practice.” Instead of practice, Darling was taking his mother to the hospital because she was having complications with her pregnancy. Eva Darling, Theodore’s Mother, says, “I explained that to her and let her know that it wasn’t as if he was out goofing off like other children. He was actually helping me, and I thought that would be taken into consideration, but evidently it wasn’t.” The Darling’s attempts to show Principal Jan Watson, documentation that they were, in fact, in the hospital, they say, has always gone unrecognized. And according to them, her last words were, “We don’t have an extra seat.” Sims, adds, “I think she’s trying to prove a point, basically.” And now the point the Darling family is trying to make is that each family’s situation needs to be heard and considered. Eva Darling, says, “Don’t ever give up, I’m very proud of you.” That is another lesson, they say, that is being taught long after the pomp and circumstance ends. ABC 7 Eyewitness News tried to contact Principal Watson numerous times, but calls went unanswered.. However, Superintendent Nancy Zambito says, she was able to get in touch with her, and says, Watson told her she did not get the whole story. However, when she did, still did not change her mind.
