| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
 |
| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
|
| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
|
| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
|
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Olympic roles come with a price
By Sharon Haddock
Deseret News staff writer
LEHI — Glenn Pearson is thrilled to be participating in the 2002 Winter Games opening and closing ceremonies, but he's not so thrilled to be facing 21 days of school at dawn because of it.
Pearson, along with four other Lehi High School students, has been missing school to rehearse for the opening ceremonies.
All will miss more to get ready for the closing ceremonies. The five were chosen from hundreds of hopefuls after their high school choir teacher urged them to audition.
They believed their absences would be excused and are now being told they are not.
"We believe the students should be in class," Lehi High School Principal Sheldon Worthington said. "It's very important that they be there. They are asking that these absences be school-excused, but (the Olympics) are not a school activity."
Worthington said once a student has more than five absences in a class in a quarter, he or she is required to do makeup time, usually by coming in early until the absences are made up.
"This is our school attendance policy, which is very similar to Provo High School."
Glenn's parents don't discount the importance of being in school, but Karl Pearson believes the participation in the Olympics qualifies as an educational experience.
"We've got a friend whose child is in the ceremonies and it's all excused," Karl Pearson said.
Worthington said there's a difference between an educational experience and a school-excused activity like a basketball tournament.
"We realize the educational benefit and value of the Olympics, but if we make it a blanket exception (for them), we'll have trouble," he said.
The school posts lists of excused students daily. Chad Wilson, the assistant principal at Lehi High School, said the administration has told the students they could not be included on the school-excused activities list.
"I think parents probably had a misunderstanding after one teacher tried to send around (an excused list) that we couldn't allow," Wilson said.
"We think it's great that they get to participate in the Olympics."
Some teachers are working with their students.
Tim Asay, who faced a 50 percent grade cut because of his absences for the Olympic rehearsals, has worked it out with his language teacher so that Asay feels he'll be fine.
"I went in today and cleared it up with the teacher," Asay said.
Pearson hasn't been so lucky. He figures he will have to come in early for three classes for three weeks: Spanish, law enforcement and weight training.
He also was unaware that there is an appeal process he and his parents may employ.
"They can appeal to the site base committee," Worthington said. "That committee includes teachers, the PTA, the booster club representative, parents and administrators who can determine what should happen."
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com
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February 8, 2002
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