Have you noticed your internet being slow this week? That wasn’t actually because of Internet Slow Down Day, because a Schenectady High School senior, Draven Rodriguez, has damn near broken the internet with his appeals to have his high school let him use this ridiculous photo of him and his cat — named Mr. Bigglesworth because obviously — as his senior class portrait. Although he hasn’t officially been denied yet, Rodriguez has started a petition as a preemptive strike which currently boasts over 3,000 signatures.
Schenectady’s Daily Gazette spoke to a representative of Schenectady High about the photo:
When asked about the portrait by The Daily Gazette, school district spokeswoman Karen Corona said that, yes, it can go in the yearbook, but, no, it can’t appear in the senior portrait section.
“That will not appear in the portrait section,” she said, stating photos there must adhere to certain uniformity. “There are other places in the yearbook where those photos can be placed.
“It doesn’t mean the photo won’t be in the yearbook. It just means it won’t be in the section where the more professional photos are.”
Although it remains to be seen whether or not Rodriguez’s sudden internet celebrity will win over the school district, he is willing to compromise, saying he’s “not looking to go to war” with anybody. Just in case he has a backup portrait of himself wearing a suit and tie with just a lapel pin with Mr. Bigglesworth on it. Whatever, I fully support this kid’s right to make dumb decisions that someday his partner will make fun of him for in in their Tribeca loft.