At a Maryland high school graudation ceremony, the crowd of nearly 4,000 erupts in "spontaneous" prayer.

Calvert County, Maryland high school student who objected to prayer during a graduation ceremony walked out of the event Wednesday night, only to find himself detained by State Police when he attempted to return. Student Nick Becker had recently learned of plans to have a 17-year old student deliver a religious invocation at the graduation ceremony; along with counsel from the American Civil Liberties Union and the state attorney general's office, though, he persuaded county officials to observe a 30-second period of silence instead.

   On Wednesday, when student Julie Schenk asked the students, parents and other citizens gathered for Northern High School's graduation to observe the period of quiet, a man in the audience began reciting the Lord's Prayer aloud. "Virtually the entire 4,000-member audience joined in," reported the New York Times.

   Mr. Becker left, then attempted to return and collect his diploma when the prayer was over. He found his way blocked by troopers from the Maryland State Police, who then threatened to detain and arrest him. "I told the cops I'm getting my diploma," Becker said to the Washington Post. "He (the cop) said, 'You're not going back in.' He walked me over to the car, put me in the front of the patrol car and said he was going to give me a citation for failing to obey a lawful order."

   The Post quoted police Lt. McKeon who clamed that Becker was "extremely upset," and who justified Becker's temporary incarceration in the patrol car as "the best course of action."

    "We didn't want (Becker) to disrupt the ceremony."

   But who was really "disrupting" the Northern High School graduation ceremony? Among those turning the "moment of silence" -- often a ruse for blatant prayer -- into an active invocation was the president of the Calvert County Commission, Linda Kelley. She told CNN, "This is a churchgoing community, and no one in Annapolis or Washington, D.C. is going to tell us when and where we can pray... The school administrators did the legal thing and complied with the law. But the audience took this one over..."

   Calvert County Superintendent James Hook said that he was disturbed by Wednesday night's "spontaneous" outburst of religiosity. "A moment of silence should have been respected," noted Hook. "It shows disrespect for the young lady who asked for silence and for the young man who requested that the prayer not be done..."

"This is a churchgoing community, and no one in Annapolis or Washington, D.C. is going to tell us when and where we can pray... The school administrators did the legal thing and complied with the law. But the audience took this one over..."

   Adding insult to injury, school official decided to prevent Mr. Becker from participating in a school-sponsored cruise around Baltimore Harbor; Becker had already paid the $45 fee for the event.

   Charges may still be filed against Becker, who is known for his "independent streak," according to the Post. Calvert County is a religious community where new residents are frequently asked "Where do you go to church? rather than "Do you go to church?", notes the paper. Last year, Becker was "forced by school officials to wash his hair in a sink because he came to school with his brown hair sculpted into 'Liberty spikes' that resemble the Statue of Liberty's crown..." He also has refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

   Commissioner Kelley told the Post that the prayer "started across the hall, and it picked up steam and went around the room... You could almost hear this thing travel. It just spread." Nick Becker said that "even people on the stage" of the graduation ceremony, including commissioners were participating in the recitation.

"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be asthe hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets,that they may be seen of men... But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret..." Matthew 6: 5-6

   Like classroom prayer, display of the Ten Commandments and other acts of open religiosity, graduation ceremony invocations have become an issue in the culture wars and the legal confrontation over the separation of church and state. In LEE v. WEISMAN (1992), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that invocations conducted by clergy who were selected by public school officials was an impermissible activity. Courts have been less clear, though, over the issue of so-called "student initiated" prayers; recently a Circuit Court struck down the practice whereby students in a Texas school district voted on whether to permit the inclusion of "religious messages" in their graduation ceremonies. Prayer-in-school supporters claim that with "student initiated" invocations, the involvement of the government is minimized, and that the activity passes constitutional muster; critics charge that this simply shifts the responsibility to certain students, and violates the rights of those who are part of a "captive audience." With mixed signals from lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court may have to take up this question in a future term.

   What is clear from the Calvert County incident, though, is that in this religious community -- one which has plenty of churches -- a premium is still put on the introduction of sectarian ritual (in this case the Lord's Prayer) into what otherwise should be a secular venue, namely, a public high school graduation ceremony. County Commissioner David F. Hale (R-Owings) defended his participation in the "spontaneous" prayer by declaring, "It was the right thing to do... We cannot condone breaking the laws, but this was participating in an ongoing prayer. It was a personal choice." And dissidents like Mr. Becker cannot look to High School Principal George Miller for much support either; he told the Post that "quite frankly, I'd like to include the invocation" in future graduation ceremonies.

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