17 May 2016
Ahem, Flathead High: mthsgraduation.com is not a valid URL
You can thank the 21 punks who broke into and vandalized Flathead High School last week for bringing this to my attention.
FHS, reports the Flathead Beacon, sent its 2016 graduating class a printed two-page Graduation 2016 Informational Bulletin admonishing students not be be naughty little pranksters, and reminding them that wearing a cap and gown is mandatory:
DRESS EXPECTATIONS
All graduating seniors participating in the ceremony must wear the FHS cap and gown. Cap and gown are available for purchase through Jostens at mthsgraduation.com or contact Jim Netz at (406) 452-6390. No tape, glitter, leis, bouquets, or any other adornments are allowed on the caps or gowns. Graduates must wear appropriate dress under their gowns, including shoes.
According to the metadata in the PDF version of the Informational Bulletin, the document was prepared on 26 April 2016 by Rhonda Reilly using Microsoft Publisher 2013.
Now, give that cap and gown URL — mthsgraduation.com — a try. Yep. There’s a problem.
According to internic.com, the registration for mthsgraduation.com expired on 15 March 2016, almost six weeks before Ms. Reilly slapped together the graduation bulletin and her superiors approved it for distribution. They might have proofread it, but it’s hard to believe they tested the URL (which is not embedded in the PDF version of the bulletin as a hyperlink).
Was this a prank by Ms. Reilly? Of course not. It was an oversight, compounded by a lack of thorough review of the document by her overseers. But I’m amazed that it occurred. With the possible exception of football, nothing is more sacred to high school administrators than the almighty graduation ceremony. One would think they would present only valid information for procuring the holy robe of graduation.