Everybody wants harsher punishments for those who do wrong, until, of course, it’s their loved one who is caught. Such is the case, it appears, in last week’s vandalism at Snohomish High School that involved about 17 students, 10 of whom were rightly told that they would be barred from Monday’s graduation ceremonies.
It is sad that years of hard work by these students should end this way, but as one 18-year-old suspended student said, "… when it comes down to it, we put ourselves here."
Let’s clear up the senior "prank" debate right away. There is a difference between stringing toilet paper in the front yard of the principal’s house and spreading dead animals — the bodies of once-living beings — and trash across the campus, taking a school vehicle and clogging 45 doors with superglue, not to mention other damage on campus. We’re not talking about a practical joke meant to cause the intended victim a little embarrassment and a hearty chuckle. This was, as district spokeswoman J.Marie Merrifield said, "significant vandalism." Those who are unable to figure out where to draw the line between humor and harm to the school community should avoid that path altogether.
Parents of the offending students who think the punishment doesn’t match the offense should be grateful if their children aren’t charged with any crimes. We hope the students won’t be charged, but "borrowing" a school custodial vehicle, even for 15 minutes, could well be considered a crime — and that’s not to mention all the damage done to school property. Taxpayers, moreover, would not be amused if an accident resulting in huge liability had occurred. These parents should also count their blessings that no one was harmed in the clean-up, such as those exposed to the dead bodies and the waste from a restaurant or the teacher who had to take an acetylene torch to a chained gate so students could get into school that morning.
And let’s hope there won’t be any talk of "kids will be kids," because numerous recent Herald articles showcasing successful, everyday teens offer plenty of proof that "teens" and "trouble" are hardly synonymous. Just look at Sunday’s front page feature, "Faces of graduation" by Herald Writer Eric Stevick, that highlighted several county teens moving on to pursue a variety of admirable goals from marriage and motherhood to Harvard to repairing hot rod cars. And how about Monday’s article on two young women from Everett Alternatives High School who volunteer 20 hours a week at the South Everett Youth and Community Center?
Further, plenty of adults have proved they’re just as capable of getting into fixes, too. Perhaps it’s not so much a matter of youth, but of healthy decision-making skills, something young people are quite capable of achieving especially when responsible adults expect it of them.
It’s very likely that the 10 students have done many other things of which to be proud. But that simply doesn’t erase the harm done to their school and the need to be held accountable for it. Owning up to inappropriate behavior is one of the surest signs of maturity, and more proud accomplishments ahead.
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