L.I. Principal Cancels 'Bacchanalian' Prom

[bluestateguy]

I applaud this decision. What the hell is the matter with these kids and their parents? This nation is at war. War means sacrifice on the home front. Geez. All you need for the prom is a tux or a dress and maybe get together with a few others to rent a limo (which would be about $25 a person). That should be enough for a good time, and expensive enough. By the way, don't assume that all these kids and parents are rich Republicans either. I bet there is a fair share of limousine liberals in there too.

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

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."

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[_testify_]

1. agreed!

Want to throw up a little? Watch that "Sweet 16" bullshite on MTV.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

2. Pretty crazy stuff

a booze cruise? I sure would be useless on it. My head would be over the railing for sure.

[mike_c]

3. good on ya, Brother Hoagland....

Where does everyone think these affluent suburban kids get their twisted world view and self-centered sense of entitlement? Why, in my day we had to work-- sometimes even in retail or in management internships-- to afford $10,000 party rentals!

All kidding aside, this was a good decision, IMO. Schools should not enable this sort of behavior.

[LoZoccolo]

4. Prom is so overblown and anti-climatictic anyways.

It's cool dressing up and going to a nice restaurant, but the importance people place on it and the stressing out is like, funny. The "emotionally traumatic" observation is keen in my opinion.

And I'm not just saying that because I didn't get laid.

[soothsayer]

5. This nation is at war? You mean the illegal invasion of Iraq? Or

did you mean the everlasting war on terra?