Posted on 04/15/2006 4:27:03 AM PDT by madprof98
High school is full of difficult choices, and some students Friday were trying to pick from an improbable trinity: reading, writhing or religion.
And amid the unfortunate confluence of class work, the prom and Good Friday, something had to give.
"There was, like, no one coming to school today," Sequoyah High senior Christa Wilkie said Friday. "[On Thursday] in lit class they asked who was going to be here Friday and no one raised their hands."
Two schools held their proms on Good Friday, and at least eight others across metro Atlanta, from Coweta to Cobb, are throwing the dance tonight, wrapping up just hours before sunrise services for Easter.
And this during the Jewish celebration of Passover.
Like Sequoyah in Canton, Decatur High students were forced to squeeze in makeup, hair and outfits between class and the rare Friday prom. That left little time for observing the day Christians revere as the time when Christ died on the cross.
That caused some to question whether priorities are out of whack.
Debbie Quinn, parish coordinator for Woodstock's St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, said she heard from some angry parents when the prom dates were first announced.
"Unfortunately, they're probably not considering religious holidays when they make out their schedule," Quinn said.
Or, in the case of Cherokee High School, whose prom is being held tonight, organizers simply forgot to reference their calendars.
"Lesson learned," said Amy Larkin, a science teacher Cherokee who organized that school's prom. "Next year, we're going to look at our calendars much more closely before we make a reservation."
Officials with the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta were unavailable for comment Friday because they were observing the holy day.
Neither Decatur High nor Sequoyah — which bucked the traditional Saturday prom in order to hold its dance at the new Georgia Aquarium — reported any complaints about the scheduling quirk. But for Sequoyah senior Stewart Guthrie, the conflict led to some anxious moments at home.
"I had to really convince my parents to let me go," said Guthrie, a devout Roman Catholic. "Easter weekend is a very big thing in my family."
Guthrie worked out a compromise, checking out of school early to attend church services. And no meat for his big night; Guthrie said he would have fish.
But for other Sequoyah students, particularly the girls, time was the primary concern. As in: Is six hours enough to prepare for the big dance?
"I've got about another three hours to go after this," said Wilkie as she waited to for her appointment — reserved in October — at Canton's Salon of the South, along with a half-dozen of her classmates. "It's going to be tight, but I'll manage."
Despite being given the go-ahead to leave school after a half day, many Sequoyah students who were attending prom never made it to campus Friday (their absences will not be excused).
No such arrangements were made at Decatur High, where spokeswoman Sherri Breunig reported, "A few of the young ladies have checked out but that's pretty normal the Friday before prom ... even when the prom is on Saturday."
School officials said they had little choice in scheduling proms for Christianity's holiest of weekends. In fact, many have already reserved a locale for next year's big dance.
"With so much state testing now, May is out of the question," said Etowah High senior counselor Jeff Bennett, who doubles as the school's prom coordinator. "If you do it in March ... that just doesn't feel like a prom."
However, he sees one unintended benefit: "This might curb some of those late-night parties due to the sunrise services the next day."
Tomorrow will tell. Let the bleary eyes be your guide.
my kids are off monday and had to go on good friday first time thats happened in my lifetime
"Officials with the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta were unavailable for comment Friday because they were observing the holy day."
How disrespectful...they weren't available for the media...
Neither Good Friday nor Easter Monday have been "days off" in our area for years. Banks and schools are open, mail gets delivered, it's just not considered a "holiday."
That being said, you can get an "excused absence" from school if you want to celebrate Good Friday.
Stewart Guthrie has a relative definition of "devout", as do his parents.
My girls always went to school on Good Friday. It was a Lutheran school and the students sang at the 1:00 service and got out an hour earlier than usual.
I love how well formed and devout this boy is! At 18/19, this kid should know what is going on during the Triduum, and there shouldn't have to be any convincing or giving into this. As bad as it was for the schools to put Prom on Good Friday, the kids, all nearly adults in society, should have not shown up. They should have made that sacrifice. And maybe that would have sent a message to the school districts that this was inappropriate.
NO EXCUSE, shows what idiots these people are.
Haven't been 18 for a while, have you? Nothing creepier than people setting other people’s standards of observance. Sort of reminds me of a certain peaceful religion that’s in the news a lot lately.
** [proms on Good Friday]**
Not a good idea!
That was a great and moving article.
Solutions - home school, Catholic school, private school. Government schools are child abuse.
No one is trying to set others' standards. If you are truly "devout" then you don't go. If you want to go then you're not exactly "devout". You can't have it both ways. It's this moral relativism that muddies so many things.
Must've missed that passage. Got the chapter and verse?
Some Christians don't believe Jesus was even crucified on a Friday, because you don't get exactly 3 days and 3 nights, as which Jonah was in the belly of a whale.
http://www.biblestudy.org/basicart/threeday.html
"Or, in the case of Cherokee High School, whose prom is being held tonight, organizers simply forgot to reference their calendars.
NO EXCUSE, shows what idiots these people are."
These banquet halls knew it was Good Friday - they just saw it as another date they could fill by keeping silent. More $$$.
Must've missed that passage. Got the chapter and verse?
It has nothing to do with any passage and you know it. It has to do with reverence for God and the observance of the most solemn day of the year. No one who is truly "devout" would go partying that day. If you need a passage to tell you that, God help you.
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