Pregnant student banned from graduation takes stage anyway
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by Erica Pippins,
Montgomery [AL] Advertiser
May 18, 2005
Alysha Cosby waited four years
to hear her name called at her
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high school graduation.
When it wasn't, she took matters into her own hands.
After the last graduate was asked to come forward to receive his degree at St. Jude Educational Institute's commencement Tuesday night, Cosby announced her own name and walked across the stage.
Cosby, who is pregnant, was told in March that she could no longer attend school, due to safety concerns. School officials also told her to complete her class work at home and said she could not participate in graduation.
Cosby, her mother, Sheila Cosby and aunt, Debra Blackwell , were escorted out of St. Jude Church by police after she headed back to her seat.
"I really came to support my classmates. Doing this was really a last-minute thing," said Cosby, after her family left the building.
The school's guidance counselor delivered Cosby's degree to her house early Tuesday afternoon, but she still wanted to participate. Her name was not listed on the graduation program.
"I worked hard throughout high school and I wanted to walk with my class," Cosby said.
Her decision to do so prompted cheers and applause from many of her fellow seniors and dozens of people in the church. Some, however, murmured that her act was in poor taste and that it took away from the ceremony.
"For those who may not have been happy with what I did, consider this: If you had someone close to you who was about to graduate and met all the requirements, wouldn't you want them to walk?," Cosby said. "Just because I am pregnant doesn't mean that I am any different."
School policy states that the administration can decide if and when a student needs to be homeschooled based on a number of factors, including medical safety, physiological well-being and social issues.
The father of Cosby's child also is a senior at the school. He was allowed to participate in graduation.
"I can't believe something like this is happening in 2005. I feel like we have regressed instead of progressed," Sheila Cosby said. "My daughter has been through a lot and I am proud of her. She deserved to walk, and she did."
As originally published
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Artist stands by his legs
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by Tina Tenret, NBC-17 [Raleigh-Durham, NC]
May 11, 2005
HENDERSON,
N.C. -- People in Henderson are |
talking about the massive sculpture of a woman's legs, spread open on Welcome Avenue.
At first glance, it looks more like something you'd find at a strip club, instead of a quiet neighborhood.
A backhoe contractor, Ricky Pearce poured concrete into hand-drawn molds to create the 40-ton, 17-foot-high legs. Then, he lifted them into place with a crane. Complete with some landscaped foliage, strategically placed, the display is making some folks chuckle, and others shake their heads in disgust.
"The project took about three years," Pearce said. "I was inspired by Marilyn Monroe's legs, with the skirt blowing."
Some residents who live nearby are pleased with Pearce's legwork. "Oh, I like them. I think they're great," one homeowner told NBC-17. "I think he did a really great job on them. And it just shows a lot of art work."
But, others aren't so forgiving. The sculpture is, after all, located between two churches.
"What is it insinuating to the kids in the neighborhood?" Walter Fuller wonders. "Why do they just show the legs. If it's a woman, why not show her beautiful face ... or her body clothed?"
Pearce said he doesn't think there's anything in the sculpture a kid shouldn't see. "If they learned a little bit more about this and stayed away from drugs, they'd be better off," Pearce said.
Fuller wants Pearce to remove the sculpture, but the artist said people come from all over the country to see it and take pictures of it. He also sculpted Marilyn Monroe's high heel shoes, but said they don't fit the legs. They are located not too far away on land that Pearce rents out.
Both city and county officials said they have received complaints, but their zoning laws do not apply. The Vance County district attorney told NBC-17 state obscenity laws may stick, but he has more important crimes to worry about.
As originally published
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