Some Yucca Valley parents and students are upset about two photos in the high school’s recently published yearbook. In the Senior Superlative section of the yearbook, under the heading of “Teacher’s Nightmare,” a male student is pointing a gun at an American government textbook, and the female student is holding a knife at another textbook. The other photo, illustrating “Rule the World,” shows a male student holding what appears to be three sticks of dynamite while a female student tries to light the fuse. Parents and students have complained that the photos are inappropriate and that the yearbook advisor should not have allowed the photos to be printed. Morongo Unified School District Superintendent Tom Baumgarten said the photos were intended to be a parody, and the props were chosen by the yearbook’s advisory group. A letter distributed by the school’s yearbook advisor Scott Phillips reads in part: “No malicious intent was premeditated toward this section of the yearbook and the advisor and the students feel horrible anything was interpreted as such.” In addition, some students are upset that their senior quotes were omitted from the yearbook. The school does not intend to recall or reprint the yearbooks, however, Baumgarten said a full refund will be offered for those who want to return them.
