In his “Week at a Glace” email on Aug. 21, principal Paul Robinson announced that a “Face to Face” policy, inaugurated at senior prom the year before, would continue to be enforced during dances in the new school year. He wrote, “We want everyone to see who they're dancing with, and not have to grind away the night backwards.”
Almost immediately, some students began to protest. On the junior class Facebook group, posts like “Bye bye high school dances, hello redwood dances,” “No Guys! its chill we’ll just set it up in the parking lot! anyone got speakers??,” and “Do they really think it will boost the attendance?” were exchanged.
One student in particular, junior Bridgette Olsen, even attempted to work around the policy. She and her friends started front grinding because the policy just said “face to face.”
“Students should feel free to do what they want,” she said.
Students have argued that bans such as the “Face to Face” dance policy restrict students’ freedom of expression. Over the past years, the administration has passed several bans on student behavior, including bans on the Assassins games (because they were seen as a form of gambling because money was at stake,) sitting on the library floor, senior pranks and the “Face to Face” dance policy.
Senior Eric Kao said that though he understands the administration’s concern for student safety, he isn’t sure that the bans placed by the administration will actually deter student misbehavior, especially off-campus.
“My question is whether these policies are for saving the school's face or actually helping the students,” Kao said. “Banning freaking encourages students to go to third-party events like mixers where freaking and other activities [such as drinking] aren't as well enforced. Banning Assassin and senior pranks seems arbitrary, and I'm afraid students might resort to less harmless games outside of a safe environment like school.”
Although many students are often upset with the restrictions placed on them by the administration, others argue that their peers take protesting too seriously. Regarding the bans on the Assassin game, senior Ivan France said that the student response went too far.
“Petitions signed, rampant protests against the unjust administration that have stolen our rights,” France mocked. “It seems like at the high school age, everyone wants to be part of something bigger, and there seems to be a lot of jumping on the bandwagon. [The bans] are not infringing on anyone's rights, and they needn’t be made into mountains.”
Assistant principal Kerry Mohnike said the administration does not ban things to make high school less enjoyable, but to keep the campus safe.
“We try to use pretty good common sense when we make decisions about behavior on campus, based usually on a lot of experience,” Mohnike said.
2012 graduate Christine Bancroft thought the Assassin ban went too far. In fact, she said the money generated from the game was being used for a good cause.
“For us, it was going towards a staff Christmas party for the Falcon. For others, it was to be donated to a charity of the winner's choice,” Bancroft said. “Overall, the student reaction to the ban was not one regarding the game itself, which was a negligible issue, but the overall banning of a non-disruptive student activity.”
Bancroft added that reactions from both the administration and by the student protesters were blown out of proportion and could’ve been handled much better.
“The administration didn't bother to take up the issue with the students and get their end of the issue,” Bancroft said. “The student protests were ridiculous, and immature, too, though. Both ends were being spiteful and immature, really, and it's a little embarrassing to look back on them.”
Administrative bans have enjoyed a long history. In the mid-’90s, the school cracked down on streaking, an activity that seniors did as a sort of rite of passage toward the end of the year.
In the spring of 1997, a group of seniors ran across the quad in various states of undress. Participating students were not allowed to attend their graduation ceremony after they broke a rule that then-principal Kevin Skelly put in place.
Students organized a walk-out in support of the caught streakers because they said the rules had not been announced. The streakers ended up having their own unofficial graduation ceremony.
“Back in those streaking days it got to the point where kids were drinking alcohol and driving cars after streaking, and obviously that’s not good,” Mohnike said. “[If] it has to do with behavior that is detrimental to self or others, then the administration has a lot of say.”