"Laser Cat": A Teachable Moment?

Photo: Vincent Giordano / Trinacria Photography

Seen it yet?

The either awesome or outrageous – or both, depending on your point of view – photo that Draven Rodriguez, a 16-year-old student at Schenectady High in New York posed for to use as his yearbook photo.

Inspired by the “Awkward Family Photos” meme, and to demonstrate his devotion to his cat Mr. Bigglesworth (you know, “Mr. Bigglesworth”) Draven posed in reverie, surrounded by pink and blue laser beams.

Suspecting he might run into resistance in getting the photo accepted by the school yearbook committee, he started an online petition and built grass roots support. By the time it was all said and done, it was referenced by everyone from Tumblr to Jezebel and Tweeted by the singer Kesha.

But the best part of the story, in my opinion, is how it ended: Though the principal didn’t approve the use of it as his “actual” yearbook photo, she offered to pose with Draven – with her Chihuahua, Vivienne, for a new, even better photo that would appear on the Principal’s page, with an appeal to help support the local animal protective foundation.

It’s easy to laugh this story off, but I was struck with how well the principal dealt with this and I couldn’t help but see a parallel with conflicts we run into all the time.

1. Draven, one student out of hundreds, decided to break with convention.

There’s a lot of good in having this kind of passion and nerve – it’s what drives breakthrough ideas and moments of delight.

2. But the yearbook photos had an established visual identity.

No one is saying that conformity should rule the day. But doing something that conflicts with your visual identity is something that you have to think through. While it might be good to continue the conversation about mixing up the photo format for future editions, the disruption wouldn’t have been worth the gratification it would’ve given one student.

3. But wait! The principal didn’t look at this as a zero-sum situation!

Instead, she did her own innovating which led to a positive outcome that wouldn’t have happened if Draven had “won.” This is what made the difference. While it started out looking like a typical student versus school tug-of-war, it turned into a collaboration because the principal wanted to make it work and found a way. The donation checks are already pouring in.

4. And finally: The principal went all in.

By joining in with Draven, she proved to her students that while she was going to make sure the rules were followed, she didn’t take herself too seriously.

Like I said, it’s easy to look at this as a funny story, but I think it’s worth taking a second to congratulate all involved for the happy ending. And I kinda gotta believe the "staring wistfully into the distance while lasers fire randomly around you" might actually catch on in next year's yearbooks.