SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Graduation cake stirs up trouble

May 23, 2018, 8:17 AM

Summa Cum Laude...

File photo

It’s graduation season, but for one cake decorator, it may be time to go back to school.

In what Dori called his favorite story of Tuesday during the Fastest 15, the parents of South Carolina 4.89 GPA student Jacob Koscinski ordered their son a cake online from a Publix supermarket for his graduation party. To celebrate the title with which he is graduating, they decided to have the phrase, “Summa Cum Laude Class of 2018” written on the cake.

Summa Cum Laude is a Latin phrase meaning “with highest honors,” and is used at commencement ceremonies to recognize the highest achievers in a graduating class.

Koscinski’s parents picked up the cake from Publix and did not open the box until the party. When they revealed the cake, however, they were shocked to find that the middle word had been replaced with hyphens, as Publix’ spell-check system had marked it as inappropriate.

“I don’t know what they thought it was between ‘Summa’ and ‘Laude,'” Dori said jokingly on the show.

The Koscinski family received a full refund for the cake.

Dori, however, didn’t buy the student’s statement that he was embarrassed and annoyed by the incident.

“I bet he thought this was the funniest thing ever,” Dori said.

Michael Carman votes at a Checkers grocery store on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Lawrenc...

Associated Press

Inflation, tariffs and a voter revolt: The midterm verdict on Trump’s economy

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was publicly humbled by inflation in Tuesday’s midterm elections, as rising prices provoked a blistering set of losses for Republicans in House, Senate and gubernatorial races. Most voters said that Trump’s own policies had smothered growth and drove costs even higher, according to The AP Voter Poll, a survey […]

58 minutes ago

President Donald Trump talks to reporters during a tour of White House Ballroom construction at the...

Associated Press

After midterm loss, Trump is left to weigh his next move in Iran war that contributed to GOP debacle

WASHINGTON (AP) — As he takes stock of his Republican Party’s midterm drubbing, President Donald Trump now faces the difficult question of what to do about his unpopular 8-month-old war against Iran. For weeks, Trump has threatened to return to a full-scale bombardment of Iran once the U.S. elections were in the rearview mirror if […]

1 hour ago

FILE - Former President Donald Trump waits for the start of proceedings in his trial at Manhattan c...

Associated Press

Trump’s lawyers to appear before appeals court as he fights hush money conviction

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump ‘s lawyers will try to persuade a New York appeals court Thursday to throw out his hush money conviction, two years after it made history. The conviction, on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to obscure a $130,000 payment to adult film performer Stormy Daniels, continues to […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Asian shares mostly advance following US midterms, though Kospi falls on selling of chipmakers

Asian shares mostly gained on Thursday after U.S. stocks rallied following the midterm election, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumping more than 3% after President Donald Trump’s party lost its sole control of Washington. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil was trading near $94, around its lowest level in two months. […]

3 hours ago

Pierce County Council candidate Brenda Lykins...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘They just want good government’: Pierce County Council candidate says voters are tired of us-versus-them politics

Brenda Lykins holds a big lead in the race for the Pierce County Council's District 7 seat.

3 hours ago

Associated Press

Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson wins election to U.S. House in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District

Democrat Teresa Benitez-Thompson won election Wednesday to the U.S. House of Representatives representing Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District, defeating Republican David Flippo. The victory comes in a conservative stronghold that was represented by Republican Rep. Mark Amodei for more than a decade. Benitez-Thompson is a former state Assembly majority leader who had support from labor groups. […]

4 hours ago

Graduation cake stirs up trouble