Module 2: "Utah 15-Year-Old Suspended..." and "Kyle's Story"

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
    A student at a Utah middle school was suspended last week after administrators deemed her new hair color “too distracting.”
  2. suspension
    the act of hanging something from above so it moves freely
    Rylee MacKay, a 15-year-old student at Hurricane Middle School in Southwestern Utah, was punished Wednesday with an in-school suspension for sporting a new red hair color.
  3. unbeknownst
    occurring or existing without the knowledge of
    Unbeknownst to her, she was in violation of a school policy.
  4. violation
    an act that disregards an agreement or a right
    Unbeknownst to her, she was in violation of a school policy.
  5. spectrum
    an ordered array of the components of an emission or wave
    A rule in the Washington County School District, which includes Hurricane Middle School, says, “Hair color should be within the spectrum of color that grows naturally.”
  6. discipline
    punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience
    MacKay says she’d been sporting that same shade for months and was shocked that the school disciplined her.
  7. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    MacKay’s mother Amy asked if her daughter could have two more days to have the color fixed, but they balked.
  8. compliance
    acting according to certain accepted standards
    “When students are out of compliance with the dress code, we attempt to find a resolution. Students are welcome to return to class when the issue has been satisfactorily resolved.”
  9. resolution
    something settled
    “When students are out of compliance with the dress code, we attempt to find a resolution. Students are welcome to return to class when the issue has been satisfactorily resolved.”
  10. grievance
    an allegation that something denies some legal right
    In the end, Hoyt told the family that they could file a grievance with the school district or have the hair re-colored by Monday, which is what MacKay decided.
  11. gratitude
    a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
    He looked at me and said, “Thanks!” He tried to smile a bit but only managed a half-grin. I could see the gratitude in his eyes, though.
  12. compel
    force somebody to do something
    I would have never hung out with someone like him before but something compelled me to that day.
  13. valedictorian
    the student with the best grades
    Kyle was valedictorian of our class.
  14. self-esteem
    a feeling of pride in yourself
    He had gained so much confidence and self-esteem.
  15. underestimate
    make too low an approximation of
    Never underestimate the power of your actions.
Created on Wed Sep 30 16:33:34 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Oct 01 15:47:30 EDT 2020)

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