CASPER — Zephira Arguello dreams of walking down the aisle at her high school graduation ceremony in a way that honors her accomplishment and culture.
Even more, the Kelly Walsh High School senior wants to promote “acceptance.”
That word is emblazoned on a wall outside her school.
The 18-year-old moved to Casper with her family from Riverton in 2022 and believes being dressed for success on her May 30 graduation day should involve wearing a nearly 100-year-old buckskin dress under her gown, moccasins her grandmother wore on her feet, and a beaded graduation cap.
But Kelly Walsh High School says no, there’s a problem with that. And Arguello and her father, Waylon Arguello, say they don’t understand the school district’s reasoning behind shutting out their culture.
“(Native culture) has been a huge role throughout my entire life, like any funeral, any wedding, anything,” Zephira told Cowboy State Daily. “I only ever have gone to them in the traditional ways of Native American culture.
“So, like anything that I know how to do is based off of that.”
Her father, an enrolled member of the Northern Arapaho tribe, said his daughter was given a nearly 100-year-old buckskin dress by her grandmother, and where they come from the graduates all wear regalia for their ceremony.
“It’s a big point in life to graduate,” he said.
As a junior last year, Zephira said she approached Kelly Walsh High School Principal Mike Britt about wearing her regalia and having a beaded cap, understanding that Native Americans who want to honor their culture have been shut down at other schools across the country.
‘Acceptance’ Pillar
She said the principal has run the school on four pillars — excellence in academics, activities, athletics and acceptance. Those pillars are emblazoned on the school’s main entrance exterior wall.
Zephira said the fact that one pillar is “acceptance” gave her hope.
However, when she approached Britt about the issue a year ago, Zephira said she was told that if he would let one minority do it, he would have to let the rest do it as well.
Zephira said he cited a student at Natrona County High School who had worn something at graduation that said, “I (heart) hot moms.”
“It didn’t make sense to me, because my thing is based off of culture and tradition,” she said.
This year, Waylon Arguello said he went to speak with the principal about his daughter’s desire and was escorted out of his office.
“He called my kid a minority, he told me he didn’t care that, ‘If I let one person do it than all minorities can do it,’” he said.
Principal Statement
Natrona County School District spokesperson Tanya Southerland said Britt was unavailable for comment for this story, but provided a statement from him that calls graduation a “proud and meaningful tradition that marks the culmination of our KWHS students’ academic journeys.”
“We recognize and deeply respect the individuality of each of our students — it is what makes our school and community vibrant and strong,” Britt says in the statement. “The graduation ceremony is designed to be a unified celebration of the Class of 2025.
“Historically, at KWHS, we have identified that students may not decorate their caps or gowns so that attention remains on the accomplishments of the class as a whole.”
The statement said the information was shared during a senior meeting with the class of 2025 and that the school’s “intent and hope is to create a memorable experience for all Trojans that celebrates their academic excellence and success.”
Cap And Gown Paid For
Zephira said she has already paid for her cap and gown, but will not be able to pick it up until she signs a mandatory statement given to all seniors that pledges that the graduate will not do anything to create a distraction at the ceremony.
During the last senior meeting earlier this spring, it was emphasized there could be no decoration on caps or gowns.
For her, the beads on her cap would mean “a kind of ‘I did it,’ thing,” Zephira said. “It’s more of a celebratory thing for yourself, but it’s also a keepsake.”
Waylon Arguello said his daughter’s dress with its glass beads would have been worn at powwows on ceremonial occasions. The moccasins given to her by her grandmother were also worn at powwows.
To get to graduation day, Zephira said she went to summer school to catch up on her classes after missing much of her junior year due to a wrestling injury that made it hard to walk.
“I ended up dropping out because I really didn’t see a point in being there,” she said. “And then my mom had the idea of, ‘Hey, why don’t you go try again and see if you can do it.’
“I spent the entire summer doing my summer schoolwork.”
As she wraps up her high school career with English, history and nursing courses, she has a goal of going to college and becoming a respiratory therapist.
Zephira said she has always been someone who visited relatives in nursing homes and did not like the way she saw them treated.
“I kind of want to be the change in that,” she said.
She also still hopes to be the “change” at Kelly Walsh High School.
Her friends at the reservation school in Fremont County will graduate with regalia, and she said she knows stories of others in Riverton and Lander who have done it in the past.
Riverton High School Practice
Riverton High School graduation coach and senior class sponsor Erica Thoman confirms that in past years there may have been Native students who wore ribbon dresses under their gowns.
This year, Thoman said a female student asked to wear her regalia under her gown. Thoman said she understands the request and made a compromise.
“After they receive their diploma, they are more than welcome to take (the gown) off or wear it unzipped,” she said.
Thoman said her request to the Native American seniors was just to leave the gowns zipped as they march in and until they receive their diplomas.
Zephira said she plans to talk to a school counselor one more time about the issue.
She has not signed the paper stating she will not cause a distraction and until she does, she won’t be able to pick up the cap and gown that she paid for in February.
If she marches and causes a “distraction,” Zephira said the school will withhold her diploma until she has a disciplinary action meeting with the principal.
“I honestly plan on wearing it still,” she said.
Statement From School
After this story was posted, Kelly Walsh High School submitted this statement about the situation:
Students are encouraged and are welcome to wear clothing of their choice that aligns with the NCSD dress code under their gowns. Students are also able to wear any footwear they choose.
We want all of our students to have a memorable and safe experience at graduation.
Students who have inquired about wearing leis, regalia or other items that are not KWHS school-related are told and encouraged to wear those items under their gowns. This has always been in practice. Once the formal ceremony has concluded, students are able to wear any additional regalia or decorations while on the floor of the Ford Wyoming Center as they celebrate their well-deserved accomplishments.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
