Posted on 10/17/2005 7:21:55 AM PDT by Millee
Brother Kenneth Hoagland had heard all the stories about prom-night debauchery at his Long Island high school: students putting down $10,000 to rent a party house in the Hamptons; pre-prom cocktail parties followed by a trip to the dance in a liquor-loaded limo; fathers chartering a boat for their children's late-night "booze cruise."
Enough was enough, Hoagland said. So the principal of Kellenberg Memorial High School canceled the spring prom in a 2,000- word letter to parents.
"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," Hoagland said, fed up with what he called the "bacchanalian aspects."
"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. (The school) is willing to sponsor a prom but not an orgy."
The move brought a mixed, albeit passionate, reaction from students and parents at the Roman Catholic school, which is owned by the Society of Mary (Marianists), a religious order of priests and brothers.
"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."
Hoagland began talking about the future of the prom last spring after 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 some parents went ahead and rented a Hamptons house anyway, Hoagland said.
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 for students to pay $1,000 on the dance and surrounding costs: expensive dresses, tuxedo rentals, flowers, limousines, pre- and post-prom parties.
Edward Lawson, the father of a Kellenberg senior, said he and other parents are discussing whether to organize a prom without the sponsorship of the 2,500- student school.
"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."
Some parents picking up their children on a recent afternoon said they support Hoagland.
"The school has excellent values," said Margaret Cameron of Plainview, N.Y. "We send our children here because we support the values and the administration of the school, and I totally back everything they do."
"I've lived my entire life in a predominantly Catholic city, which is also predominantly liberal Democratic with all the artificial fronts and rationalization of relativistic morals that go with liberalism."
"The fact that these parents send their kids to a Catholic school yet encourage Hollywood-like morals as a lifestyle is no surprise to me. It's the same thing I've witnessed all my life."
Sounds like a generalization to me too. Did you not mean to do so?
What planet are you on? did you read the letters?
Yes they did!
looked like one to me too, but then i was accused of being a DUmmy for thinking so.
I'm not catholic bashing. Instead of coming right out and insulting someone which makes people defensive, I'm trying to find out what happened to a person. There are a lot of lapsed and ex-caatholics for a reason and I'm trying to figure out why that is.
>Please don't start the socialism ore Marxist stuff that has nothing to do with this<
Uh! That comment makes no since.The Church is already doing that by lowering the price of the education.All I suggested is charge a market rate and help the church members not the heathens getting a "free ride".
IMO, mom & dad were 99.9% responsible before.
I'm sorry that part was not meant for you, that was for other posters who were bringing that up.
"There are a lot of lapsed and ex-caatholics for a reason and I'm trying to figure out why that is."
There are also a lot of practicing Catholics...no one seems very interested in their reasons for their faithfulness to the Church though...there only seems to be interest in the naysayers point of view.
Just wondering why.
You're not.
Well I'm already a practicing Catholic. I just have an interest as to why some people leave and some don't and some are just indifferent to the Roman Catholic faith.
ping
leaving the Church, doesn't give one the right to bash those that stayed, IMHO. and regardless of one's own experience, to dismiss Catholics as hypocritical IS a generalization.
Uh....who made him the royal exchequer?
Please read the letters I posted from the School. I believe you will change your mind. And haven't we learned by now not to trust the AP to tell the whole truth...
My *giirllll* robot. Huh! huh-huh! Huh, huh-huh-huh-huh!
*sigh* This is gonna be the best prom *ever*!
i thought it funny because he asked if i was on the right forum. i have been here for 7 years....
"Well I'm already a practicing Catholic."
"I just have an interest as to why some people leave and some don't and some are just indifferent to the Roman Catholic faith."
Interesting...do you ever wonder what the reasons are for people converting to Catholicism? Do you ever wonder what the reasons are that you, as a practicing Catholic, are not indifferent to the Faith?
Thanks for posting the update on this situation.
Woudl you mind if I stole this quote for my new tagline? It's dead-on.
"Haven't we learned by now not to trust the AP to tell the whole truth?"
"to dismiss Catholics as hypocritical IS a generalization."
True. I don't care for generalizations.
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