Censorship With Too Much Hairspray

I scoured The Imprint’s website, searching for the latest article, when I realized that it was nowhere to be found. I had been informed that the newest edition of my favorite school newspaper had just been released, and I wanted to read it. I searched and searched but all I could surface was the second-most recent article from (insert month). So I asked around. I texted my friends, asked teachers, and even emailed the editors, but to my unfortunate article-reader dismay, I was informed that it had been taken down. 

I would like to preface this by saying that the removal of the latest article was not necessarily unwarranted. Some may say it was in fact warranted. The piece was about the controversy over the MHS Drama Club’s decision in the fall to put on Hairspray for the winter musical. For those of you non-theatre-buffs, Hairspray, firmly rooted in 1960’s America, battles themes of segregation and race featuring a diverse cast of people. Melrose High school, being predominantly white, showcases few (of the already small number of black students at the school) who participate in theater at the school. But in an attempt to attract more black (specifically METCO) students to participate in the theater program, Hairspray seemed to be a good option.

 Being the proactive and progressive students we are, the decision was met with a lot of backlash. Meetings were held with the Drama Club’s E-Board and arts director to discuss the implications of performing the show. They eventually came to a mutual conclusion: the show just wouldn't fit into the program given our student demographics, and the decision was made to change to Mean Girls, the musical. Seemed simple enough. A minor spout of controversy was diverted to a safer (and might I say, in my opinion, a better) musical. But the story did not end there. When the editors of The Imprint decided to publish an article in the school’s newspaper about the situation, addressing the controversial show and how the arts department responded to the feedback of the students with open arms, the school administration pulled the article from the newspaper.

As I, a student interested in the goings-on of the school, search for the article about the winter musical, I find myself searching for a needle in a haystack. The resolution to this debacle emerged positive, so why did the school still pull the article? The arts department did its job. It responded to the feedback of the students, and helped the drama club students come to a successful consensus. The students and parents are happy, the drama department is happy, and the crisis was averted, yet the administration still came down on The Imprint. The only reputable source of the “what's-what” at our school is being censored and asked to replace the article for the next print issue. Why is the school administration not allowing for the author of the article to have a second chance?  Maybe there was room for the article to be revised- to interview faculty, administrators, and students. Unfortunately these opportunities were not given to the author. But I ask you this: Is the truth not worth a few frowns?