Letter inaccurately condemned students

A letter to the editor was published on Sunday by a Michael Stephans, a former Grayslake North parent. The letter suggested that our wonderful senior women were showing disrespect to the nation by lifting their hands in the air at the end of the national anthem during their powder puff football game earlier in September.

This is outrageous and absolutely false.

If Mr. Stephans has officiated hundreds of contests as an IHSA official as he stated, then he should be aware of the tradition that the boys participate in by raising their helmets in the air on Friday nights at the end of the national anthem.

As a matter of fact, his son was a former football player at Grayslake North so also participated in this tradition of lifting his helmet in pride of our flag, his team and the school.

Our senior girls, who are leaders and athletes, were emulating what the boys do to show their pride before what was their last powder puff game in high school in celebration of their last four years.

I am offended on behalf of these girls, most of whom I have known since they were in grade school.

Mr. Stephans is using our girls as the innocent victims in his rant. How does he deduce that raising their fists indicates defiance? What would cause him to make such an assumption?

He had an opportunity to ask the girls, the coaches, or the administration about it in person that night if he was so affected by the display. But instead he chose to put something false in the paper weeks later about a group of 17- and 18-year-olds? Shame on him.

Jackie Nayyer

Grayslake