Much Ado About Not So Much
Really, this is a bit absurd. A Catholic school in Australia has reversed their initial reversal and will allow a boy to attend the school after all. After first offering him a place at the school, officials had withdrawn the offer because of the boy's parents insisted on using his last name.
Officials said the boy had been offered a place at the St. Peter the Apostle school in the southern city of Melbourne after discussions between the principal, the parish priest and the family over his name.
But Alex Hell said he would rather send 5-year-old Max elsewhere because the school balked at taking the boy over his family name.
"We are the victims of our name," Hell said Monday.
Hell said he and his wife approached St. Peter the Apostle school about enrolling Max because the boy was being bullied at his current school because of his name, the Herald Sun newspaper reported on its Web site.
The Catholic school supported a plan to enroll Max using his mother's maiden name, Wembridge, but then withdrew its invitation when the parents changed their minds about the name, Hell said. The school backed down and offered Max a place only when Hell took the issue to the media, he said.
"The school has turned around and said Max can go there, but why would you want to go there after being victimized?" Hell said.
Maybe the school is worried that the boy will continue to be the victim of bullying because of his name. The parent here is being a bit foolish and is very quick to claim victimhood. Look, kids are vicious to one another, that is kind of what kids do. Why not use the maiden name for the kid's sake? All the publicity seeking will actually probably make it worse for the poor boy.
World news | Gaius Monday, 9 July , 2007
By Heather Chambers, Monday, 9 July , 2007 @ 11:34 am
The father, having had that name himself would be in a good position to understanding what kids do with names. I think the name might be Germanic. Doesn’t hell in German have something to do with light or bright? Knowing where your name comes from can often help with teasing. My first name ,Heather, was unusual 50 years ago. I heard every joke on weather, feather, leather possible, but knew the name came from a flower commonly found in Scottish heath. Distraction to another topic often works wonders.
By Jack, Tuesday, 10 July , 2007 @ 3:31 am
“The school backed down and offered Max a place only when Hell took the issue to the media, he said.”
If you have the real interests of Hell at heart then the best thing you can ever do is take it straight to the media.