Teens at Desert Vista Cause Media Outrage After Posting Shocking Photo

Aryana Mendoza, Staff Writer

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6 girls at Desert Vista after taking senior picture get together to spell the N word.
On Friday January 22, 2016 students at Desert Vista High School in Tempe, Arizona wore t-shirts for their traditional yearbook picture. The yearbook picture originally spelled out “BEST-YOU’VE-EVER-SEEN-CLASS-OF-2016.”

After the class photo was taken six girls got together and that’s when the controversial photo was taken. The picture was a photo of spelled out the N word. Social media went crazy and was first found on Snapchat, then spread to Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The girls caused a huge media state and national outrage. Many negative comments were added to every post seen of the girls calling them “racist.”

Tempe Union High School District, Jill Hanks, provided this statement:

“We are absolutely aware and outraged by this behavior. The students will be disciplined in accordance with district policy and while we don’t discuss specific discipline I can tell you that will be addressing the obvious need for sensitivity training in this case.”

On Monday January 26, 2016 people came out to protest the girls to be expelled from school.

How do you feel about the girls punishment? Should they get expelled?

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Clarissa Lopez, 16

No, they should not be expelled from school or from any Tempe Union School, instead  they should be punished by being suspended and not participate in any senior activities.”

 

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Sarah Hiralez, 16

They shouldn’t get expelled, everyone makes mistakes and this situation got out of hand. But I did see other social media post about the girls not being sorry for what they had done.”

 

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Mr. Lim, Math teacher

I feel like everyone has their own opinion, I feel the punishment should fit the action. Everything that’s been happening in the media the girls should have been aware of what they were doing. Therefor I feel like they should be expelled.”