Boonsboro High senior was denied chance to walk onto graduation stage due to makeup ‘issues’

A Boonsboro High School student was not allowed to attend her graduation ceremony Tuesday night due to concerns about her makeup, leaving the 18-year-old and her family “heartbroken” for the big day .

Nixx Cabrera-Guy is an aspiring piercer and tattoo artist and is the first person on her father’s side of the family to receive her high school diploma. She said Boonsboro High principal Michael Kuhaneck told her she had to take off her makeup or she wouldn’t be able to sit with her classmates or walk on stage during the ceremony.

“He told me, ‘You’re not allowed to walk, you’re not allowed to sit. You either take it off or you leave,'” Cabrera-Guy recalled.

Cabrera-Guy and her family left the ceremony after learning she could not attend.

Cabrera-Guy said she was a “very creative” person known at school for her expressive makeup. She said this look was much more toned down than some of her other looks she’s worn to school events, where she paints intricate details over the white makeup base. At graduation, Cabrera-Guy only put eyeliner and lipstick on the white base.

“It’s part of my identity, how the school knew me and how I knew myself that had never been an issue before,” Cabrera-Guy said. “I prefer to go on stage as someone who is really me rather than as someone they are trying to hide.”

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Cabrera-Guy said Kuhaneck told her that her makeup had to be “pre-approved” in order to be worn at graduation. However, she said she wore similar makeup to school, including during dances, spirit weeks and typical school days.

Kuhaneck did not return a phone call prior to publication, but in a statement to the Herald-Mail, Washington County Public Schools and Boonsboro High said Cabrera-Guy was not authorized to participate in the ceremony. graduation due to concerns about the “symbolism of wearing makeup.”

“The student was asked to remove makeup because the school did not have sufficient notice to explore the symbolism behind the makeup,” the statement read. “There were concerns about cultural considerations and disruptions during the graduation celebration. »

Cabrera-Guy said she didn’t know she needed pre-approval for makeup. An email sent to Boonsboro High graduates said students were required to wear an undecorated cap and gown over business casual attire, not jeans or sneakers, and shoes they could walk in.

The Washington County Public School dress code does not include any specific information or guidelines on makeup, but states that permanent and temporary “body art” that violates administrative regulations or disrupts the “educational setting” must be fully covered, even in schools and district-sponsored schools. -sanctioned events. The student handbook does not mention approving makeup or body art.

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“I will never get this moment back”

Cabrera-Guy said she and her family were “heartbroken” about not being able to walk. Her father and his family, originally from Guatemala, were particularly devastated.

“(My dad) was really trying to see me get on stage, and all my family from Guatemala and all over the United States,” Cabrera-Guy said. “And the school knew about it too, but they still took all that luck away from me.”

Cabrera-Guy said she received good grades and was involved in the school culture, planning spirit weeks and contributing to different senior committees at Boonsboro.

“I will never get back to that moment, which really sucked because the school knew how important it was to me and my family,” Cabrera-Guy said. “The career path I’m on doesn’t include another graduation ceremony, so I’ll never again have the chance to stand on stage or celebrate my graduation with a class or my friends while My family is watching.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: A Maryland senior was asked to drop out of high school because of makeup.