In an outrageous perversion of justice, an Atlanta-area high school senior named Paris Gray who spelled “back that ass up” using periodic table abbreviations in her yearbook quote was held out of a “senior walk” event and booted from commencement speaking duties, she says. From local ABC affiliate WSB:
The message was: “When the going gets tough just remember to Barium, Carbon, Potassium, Thorium, Astatine, Arsenic, Sulfur, Uranium, Phosphorus.”
Her mom is cool, though.
“My first reaction was, you are such a nerd,” said Gray’s mother Zarinah Woods.
A school district spokesperson told WSB that “no decision has been made” about the commencement-speaking issue, which in these situations can mean “we didn’t realize this would be a big deal and are going to to reverse our decision without admitting we’re reversing our decision.”
Spelling with periodic-table code, incidentally, is a cherished tradition in some circles, and has in fact been used before to excellent effect in a different yearbook quote.
