High School Principal John Stapelfeld condemned as "mean spirited," the rewriting of two senior girls' bios to include derogatory comments that were printed in 250 yearbooks for the graduating class.
Administrators are investigating who is responsible for changing the words on Vanessa Lopes and Jenn Geary's bios after another senior reported the error.
"It came to our attention Tuesday morning," Stapelfeld said yesterday. "A student told us that something wasn't right" with the yearbooks.
The yearbooks -- which have not been distributed -- are usually given out along with graduation caps and gowns. Stapelfeld and other school officials compared the students' original copy with the printed version and found two changes.
Lopes and Geary's last words of thanks to friends and family were changed to phrases like "I am dumb and ugly" and derogatory statements about Lopes' Portuguese ethnicity.
"It is a mean spirited prank that went astray," Stapelfeld said.
When asked if the culprit was on the yearbook staff, Stapelfeld would only say his investigation is ongoing. He did say those involved had to be well versed in technology.
"This wasn't just anyone. This was someone who knew what they were doing," Stapelfeld said. "(The person or persons) was able to circumvent our proofing process, which is pretty thorough.
"We are being thorough and talking to a lot of students and parents. Our goal is to determine responsibility and take appropriate action."
At a cost of $20,000, the school could not afford to reprint all the books. Instead, a permanent sticker with the correct version will be placed over the tampered bios.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=69411
Administrators are investigating who is responsible for changing the words on Vanessa Lopes and Jenn Geary's bios after another senior reported the error.
"It came to our attention Tuesday morning," Stapelfeld said yesterday. "A student told us that something wasn't right" with the yearbooks.
The yearbooks -- which have not been distributed -- are usually given out along with graduation caps and gowns. Stapelfeld and other school officials compared the students' original copy with the printed version and found two changes.
Lopes and Geary's last words of thanks to friends and family were changed to phrases like "I am dumb and ugly" and derogatory statements about Lopes' Portuguese ethnicity.
"It is a mean spirited prank that went astray," Stapelfeld said.
When asked if the culprit was on the yearbook staff, Stapelfeld would only say his investigation is ongoing. He did say those involved had to be well versed in technology.
"This wasn't just anyone. This was someone who knew what they were doing," Stapelfeld said. "(The person or persons) was able to circumvent our proofing process, which is pretty thorough.
"We are being thorough and talking to a lot of students and parents. Our goal is to determine responsibility and take appropriate action."
At a cost of $20,000, the school could not afford to reprint all the books. Instead, a permanent sticker with the correct version will be placed over the tampered bios.
http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=69411
