万花筒 2010-04-21&04-22 睡觉睡过头，毕业典礼不得

“It's the thing you've waited your whole life for a walk across the stage with your graduating class.”

Sam Pierce¹ has been an honor² student at Wausaukee High School all year and was looking forward to graduating with her class in May. But when the class of 2010 walks across the stage,  Sam Pierce won't be with them.

“I woke up late” Sam says one day in February her alarm didn't work, she woke up around ten o'clock and went to school shortly after. She says she told the office what happened and went to class late, which turned out to be an unexcused absence.

" I could have said anything, I went in there not thinking that I wasn’t gonna be able to walk for graduation and he just said hey I made an honest mistake and I am here. I want to go to class."

School policy says seniors must have no unexcused absences during the second semester³ of their senior year or they will not be allowed to participate in the commencement exercise.

The school board president would not do an on-camera interview, but he told me over the phone: students are well informed of the school's policy, as far as he's concerned, the matter is closed, and he doesn't see anything that would change it.

"Policy needs to be changed, and you know, they should. Everybody deserves⁴ a second chance."

Sam's mother went to the school board last week and asked members to change the policy to allow her daughter to participate in graduation. They did not.

"I can see in the crowd, but I can't be up there with everybody else and I work just as hard as everybody else.

For now, Sam has many memories of her high school days at Wausaukee. But she will likely not be a part of the moment she and the rest of her class have been working toward⁵.
 

1 pierce   

n.皮尔斯；v.刺穿，穿透，洞悉

参考例句：

• We use the machine to pierce holes in the steel sheet.我们用机器在钢板上打洞。
• Any sights could pierce them.任何景色都会刺激他们。

2 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

3 semester   

n.一学期，半学年，六个月的时间

参考例句：

• A student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester.每个学生一学期可能要修四五门课程。
• I had an especially rough time during my first semester.我第一个学期的日子难受极了。

4 deserves   

v.应受，应得，值得( deserve的第三人称单数 )；应受报答；应得报酬；应得赔偿

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon. 不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He is the only poet in this country that deserves the name. 他是这个国家唯一的一位名副其实的诗人。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。