Wane Gelinas, an avid hunter, wanted to use this photo for his senior yearbook. His Maine school wouldn't let him. (Courtesy of Kelly Roy)
A Maine high school student who comes from a family of avid hunters was told he cannot pose for his senior yearbook photo holding a shotgun.
Wane Gelinas, a senior at Bonny Eagle High School in Standish, said hunting is a family tradition and he wanted his last yearbook photo to show his love of the sport.
“It’s just my sport,” he told WCSH-TV. “It’s just what I do. I don’t play football. I don’t play basketball. I just hunt.”
In a Facebook post, Gelinas wrote: “So here's what I wanted to have as my senior picture but was informed ‘No you can't put something like that in the yearbook.’ So you're telling me that a football player can have theirs with a football, a lacrosse player can have theirs with their stick, and a guy or girl can dress up like one or the other but a hunter can't have theirs with their gun!”
School Principal Lori Napolitano told WCSH-TV the photo goes against the school’s code of conduct, which prevents bringing weapons to school or wearing clothing or other items that depict weapons.
“We just want to draw the line at weapons of any kind being in the picture, that way we’re not trying to pass judgement on which was are promoting violence or which ones aren’t,” she said.
She added that other students have tried to submit photos in the past of them holding weapons and they have always been denied.
Photographer Kelly Roy told the network that she thought there was “no way” Gelinas would be allowed to use the photo in the yearbook.
Gelinas said he intends to submit a different photo – one without him holding a gun – but hopes the school changes its policy
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