Principal cancels school sponsored orgy

[EweTupper]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051015/.../prom_canceled

L.I. Principal Cancels 'Bacchanalian' Prom

By FRANK ELTMAN, Associated Press Writer Sat Oct 15,11:49 AM ET

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Kenneth M. Hoagland had heard all the stories about prom-night debauchery at his Long Island high school: Students putting down $10,000 to rent a house in the Hamptons for a weekend bash. Pre-prom cocktail parties followed by a trip to the dance in a limo loaded with liquor. Fathers chartering a boat so their kids could go out on a late-night "booze cruise."

Enough was enough, Hoagland said. So the principal of Kellenberg Memorial High School fired off a 2,000-word missive to parents at the start of the school year informing them that the Catholic school would no longer put on the spring prom.

"It is not primarily the sex/booze/drugs that surround this event, as problematic as they might be; it is rather the flaunting of affluence, assuming exaggerated expenses, a pursuit of vanity for vanity's sake — in a word, financial decadence," Brother Hoagland said, fed up with what he calls the "bacchanalian aspects" of the prom.

"Each year it gets worse — becomes more exaggerated, more expensive, more emotionally traumatic," he added. "We are withdrawing from the battle and allowing the parents full responsibility. (Kellenberg) is willing to sponsor a prom, but not an orgy."

The move has brought a mixed, albeit passionate, reaction from students and parents.

"I don't think it's fair, obviously, that they canceled prom," said senior Alyssa Johnson of Westbury. "There are problems with the prom, but I don't think their reasons or the actions they took solved anything."

In his letter, Hoagland cited a litany of problems that he says have developed over the years. He began a dialogue on the future of the prom last spring after it was discovered that 46 Kellenberg seniors made a $10,000 down payment on a $20,000 rental in the Hamptons for a post-prom party. When school officials found out, they forced the students to cancel the deal; the kids got their money back and the prom went on as planned.

But Hoagland said some parents went ahead and rented a Hamptons house anyway.

Amy Best, an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at George Mason University in Virginia and the author of "Prom Night: Youth, Schools and Popular Culture," said this is the first time she has heard of a school canceling the prom for such reasons.

"A lot of people have lamented the growing consumption that surrounds the prom," she said, noting it is not uncommon to see students pay $1,000 on the prom and the surrounding folderol: dresses that cost hundreds, tuxedo rentals, flowers, limousines, pre- and post-prom parties.

Best pinned some of the blame for the burgeoning costs on parents, who are often willing to open their wallets for whatever their child demands. "It is a huge misperception that the kids themselves are totally driving this."

Edward Lawson, the father of a Kellenberg senior, said he and other parents are discussing whether to organize a prom for their children without the sponsorship of the 2,500-student school, which features pristine athletic fields, immaculate hallways and the latest in audio-visual technology.

"This is my fourth child to go through Kellenberg and I don't think they have a right to judge what goes on after the prom," he said. "They put everybody in the category of drinkers and drug addicts. I don't believe that's the right thing to do."

Some parents lined up in their cars outside the school to pick up their children on a recent afternoon said they are backing Hoagland.

"The school has excellent values," said Margaret Cameron of Plainview. "We send our children here because we support the values and the administration of the school and I totally back everything they do. I trust my child with them and I trust everything, all the decisions they make for them."

Hoagland said in an interview that parents, who pay $6,025 in annual tuition, have expressed appreciation for his stern stand. "For some, it (the letter) was an eye-opener," he said. "Others feel relieved that the pressure is off of them."

Chris Laine, a senior from Rockville Centre, said the cancellation was "unfortunate, but you can't really argue with the facts they present. ... It's just what it's evolved into. It's not what it was 20, 30 or 40 years ago. It's turned into something it wasn't originally intended to be."

He insisted, "there's never been a problem at the prom, but everything that happens after it has turned into something ... it's what an average 17 or 18 year old is doing, but it's not necessarily what they should be doing."

Besides, Laine noted, the senior class still has a four-day trip to Disney World scheduled for April.

"We go to all the parks with our friends," he said just before hopping into his jet-black Infiniti and driving off to meet friends for an after-school bite to eat. "We fly down together and stay in the same hotel and so it's not like we're totally losing everything."

Good for him. That Principal deserves two votes.

Now maybe some priests can apply similar restrictions to weddings that they're willing to officiate.

[Moe Szyslak]

Originally Posted by EweTupper

Now maybe some priests can apply similar restrictions to weddings that they're willing to officiate.

Why?

[2pac Shakur]

Who cancelled the orgy?

[EweTupper]

Originally Posted by Moe Szyslak

Why?

Certain religions do stress the importance of moderation, modesty, and charity. Performing a ceremony for a couple to be united in the name of God while the rest of the wedding is overly opulant and decadent appears pretty hypocritical to me.

One could make a comparison of the hypocrisy involved when a priest performs a ceremony for a vainglorious and decadent wedding, against a priest performing a ceremony for a gay couple.

Of course, making such a comparison would draw somebody fire from all sides of the aisle. Which is why I make no such comparison.

[Moe Szyslak]

Originally Posted by EweTupper

Certain religions do stress the importance of moderation, modesty, and charity. Performing a ceremony for a couple to be united in the name of God while the rest of the wedding is overly opulant and decadent appears pretty hypocritical to me.

They let you do tht because the priests drill into the minds of their Catholic couple how much they should be giving to the church once they are married. That way if they throw a big wedding, they feel guilty for not signing over 10%.

[Jack]

What kind of part time jobs do these kids have that they can drop so much money on prom activities?

When I was in High School I worked in an ice-cream parlor for $3.35 an hour and was happy when it was raised to $3.50.

[2pac Shakur]

Originally Posted by Jack

What kind of part time jobs do these kids have that they can drop so much money on prom activities?

When I was in High School I worked in an ice-cream parlor for $3.35 an hour and was happy when it was raised to $3.50.

Their parents are in the oil industry.

[Uncle Ronny]

Originally Posted by Jack

What kind of part time jobs do these kids have that they can drop so much money on prom activities?

When I was in High School I worked in an ice-cream parlor for $3.35 an hour and was happy when it was raised to $3.50.

I'd be surprised if more than a quarter of them have jobs.

[Eimon Gnome]

I'd be surprised if any had jobs. I bet more of them have drivers than jobs.

In my community, I know there's a similar group of "big spenders". Last year, for a 16 year old's birthday, the parents threw a party. Invited about 80 guests.

Two buses took the group to an expensive NYC restaurant. Then on to a Broadway show, where they had purchased that evening's performance. Then back home. I'd guess the tab for that one at about $80k, give or take.

These are parents who both have high profile jobs. Gone 12-15 hours a day. They hire a nanny full time to do the parenting. They see their kids maybe 3 -5 hours during the week. I believe they feel that by funneling the money back to the kids, it rationalizes their efforts to earn the money in the first place. The kids are a piece of work, as you might imagine. Spoiled don't cover it by half.

I applaud the priest in the OP.

[Griffin 4]

Originally Posted by Moe Szyslak

They let you do tht because the priests drill into the minds of their Catholic couple how much they should be giving to the church once they are married. That way if they throw a big wedding, they feel guilty for not signing over 10%.

Insert rolly eye thing.