The New Brainerd High School Yearbooks Are Out

There are a lot of people apologizing for one photo caption in this year's Brainerd High School yearbook.

As far as high school yearbook pranks go, this is not one of the best of them.

The best would have to be Dale Irby. For 40 years, he wore the same shirt and sweater in his high school yearbook photo. He retired his wardrobe from teaching in 2013.

In the '80's I was on staff of the Mustang Monitor, my high school newspaper. We ran some story about football or track in one issue. There was a photo of the field, and the bleachers. More specifically, the storage shed that was under the bleachers on the field. No one had noticed until we got all the copies of that issue back from the printer, someone had written a single word on the shed door. The photographer didn't notice it. The writer, the editor, our teaching adviser, Mr. Zweig, didn't catch it. He was pretty sharp.

Until all twelve of us had to grab a Sharpie and cover up the word.

Which is why I'm wondering how ANY thing gets by before someone notices. I understand it can happen. The word on the shed door made it all the way back from the printer. But. We. Sharpie-d. It. Out. No one in school saw The Word. They just saw a black line in a photo.

I'm wondering how the yearbooks in Brainerd made it out without someone noticing the photo caption. The School District has apologized and is investigating. The US Secret Service is investigating. The student, who's quote became the caption has apologized. She has also shut down her social media accounts because of the backlash. I'm just wondering how a page about the President Trump election with reaction comments from students managed to get by without a little closer eye-ballin'. In these sensitive times, how is it that a photo slipped by with the caption,