When Mollie Garrigan watched her high school cheerleaders perform a pep

rally skit last month she immediately questioned the presentation.

" The whole idea of portraying our team instead of winning against the

other team, we portrayed them as killing the other team. "

She watched students potraying the oppossing team drop to their knees. Toy

guns were brought out depicting a shot to the back of their heads. Then the

limp bodies were dragged into a pile. All to the theme of the good bad and

the ugly.

" Not only was it inhumane, but it also bent the rules for the cheerleaders

, cause no one else is allowed to bring toy guns to school ," says Garrigan.

Garrigan than circulated a petition against gun promotion at pep rallies.

Then with a friend she wrote an editorial to the school newspaper. Portions

of it were censored by Principal Nathan Chaddick.

" Anything of a pointed, personal nature toward any one student or group, we

don't want that allowed."

The censored criticism was directed toward the authority figure. The letter

in its entirety was published in the local newspaper. National media got a

hold of the story. Thursday, Garrigan was scheduled for a phone interview with a

major news network. The interview got bumped, but the story didn't.

" I would have never thought it would have gone like this. "

Now it's damage control for NISD. Written in a district statement is " the

selection of the skit for the pep rally was short sighted, inconsistent with

the policy and practice of the school district, and was not sensitve to the

times in which we live."

" Historically there's not been a prior approval process for a pep rally

skit. It's certainly been changed and there's certainly a process in place

now to prevent anything like this from happening in the future. "

Also written is, "the editing of the student editorial was ill-advised."

" We do apologize for the misperception that's out there. "

The concern now is hurt feelings, after more than 120 people signed the petition. Garrigan wants cheerleaders to know she was oppossing the skit, not the cheerleader's school spirit. The cheerleaders want others to know they didn't intentionally mean to offend anyone. Principal Nathan Chaddick will be writing an editorial with the students in an effort to smooth some emotions.