School Dances
Now that I am done taking the SAT's and ACT's, it is back to schoolwork. I got my SAT scores back and I received a 1190. Not bad, but I'd like to do better, so I'll probably re-take them. I'll receive my ACT scores in four to seven weeks.
The school play is over. It has been keeping me busy for the past month, but with it done I have a little more spare time on my hands. For the past three weeks there has been talk about dirty dancing at school dances, or freak dancing as the administration refers to it. I started a petition to make show the students didn't think the dancing was that awful. Its main purpose was to stop the dances from being cancelled altogether. Here are two articles in which I was quoted.
Dirty dancing draws crowd at school meeting
BY KRIS GARLICK-BEATY, Black Hills Pioneer October 13, 2004
SPEARFISH - More than 150 parents and students lined up outside the conference room of the Spearfish School Board last night. The issue - "bumping and grinding," and "inappropriate behavior and attire at high school dances." Parents who recently chaperoned a homecoming dance say they were appalled by what they saw.
"A (SHS) senior asked me, 'it's a sex fest isn't it," Spearfish parent Dave Samuelson told the board. "The dances are a sexually charged environment. ... It's enough to make a guy blush.
There's bumping and grinding, ... nothing's being done. It's a quick study for freshmen entering
high school."
Superintendent of Spearfish Schools Dave Peters told the crowd he was aware of parents' concerns and recommended a committee be formed to address the issue and adapt an acceptable behavior policy.
"We're all after the same thing here - a safe place for our kids," he told the crowd. Spearfish
Board of Education President Don Aaker received a stack of yellow cards, each with a question or request for comment from an audience member.
High school students took that opportunity to deliver a petition with 290 signatures.” There are rumors that dances are going to be canceled," said Jessica Richey, a senior at SHS. "This petition supports continuing the school dances as they are. ... The students are prepared to take action."
In addition, Richey said that dancing, and some particular types of movements deemed inappropriate have actually been an issue for years.
"It's been an issue since way before your time," she told school officials. "Like when Elvis was around. ... But, the behavior isn't done by the majority of students."
Richey took issue to videotaping the dances as an invasion of their privacy. Other students supporting Richey's videotaping objection, including Christina Knutson who posed the same question to the board.
A videotape, brought by Samuelson to the board meeting was not shown to the public. Aaker told him that if it was inappropriate then, it was inappropriate now and should not be viewed at the public meeting.
Christina Knutson's parents, Katie and Craig Knutson said they appreciated the board's support and attention.
"We don't want the dances canceled," said Craig Knutson. "But, some of the behavior borders sexual assault. If that happened where I work, ... we'd be fired."
Knutson said that the school is opening itself up to all sorts of civil suits and the students are verging criminal suits.
"Our silence speaks volumes on this," he added. "Soft porn at school dances as seen on the music videos (provided by a DJ service at the dances) it's wrong."
Lynn Larsen reassured the students, "You're not going to lose your dances. ... But, we don't want a girl leaving a dance feeling violated or a boy leaving feeling uncomfortable because of his peers."
According to Larsen, parents refused to name names of those students who were deemed as acting inappropriately.
The dance attire policy is not clear, she added. "The rules are gray."
One rule, explicitly stated in the student handbook is there is no tolerance for students who are intoxicated. And, according to administrators, efforts have been improved to implement the "no alcohol or other substances" board policy.
SHS student Brent Swisher claimed, "We're talking about a small number of students here (in violation at the dances). ... Just ask them to leave."
Pamela Waterson who has worked in the SHS office for five years asked, "Why now? Why not in 2001 or 2002? Why is it such a problem now?"
Echoing Waterson, SHS Student Council Co-President Amber Ginter asked the same question.
Then added, "Grinding takes two. If you feel uncomfortable, we have police and chaperones there to help. ... If you're a girl and a guy's grinding on you, tell him to stop - get off you."
Ginter asked parents to step up and volunteer to be a chaperone. The dances can not happen without them."
Peters made available a copy of a letter from Music Express, the DJ service hired for the dances.
It recommended clarifying what appropriate attire is; what dancing styles are acceptable and what consequences should be; and, the music videos are at the request of the employer and can be monitored as such. More information can be found at Music Express' Web site www.medj.com.
The superintendent said they are scrambling to settle parents' concerns. He addressed the issues in a memorandum and called upon parents and students to form a committee to "talk about the issues" and solidify gray areas.
"We can't do anything until we have a plan in place," he said today.
The next SHS dance is scheduled for Halloween weekend, and Nov. 16 is the winter Snowball formal.
©The Black Hills Pioneer, Newspapers, South Dakota, SD 2004
Spearfish parents say ‘bumping and grinding' at school dances not appropriate
SPEARFISH (AP) — Some parents in Spearfish say behavior at high school dances is inappropriate and they want the school board to do something about it.
Parents who recently chaperoned a homecoming dance told the board at a meeting Tuesday they were appalled by what saw.
"The dances are a sexually charged environment," Spearfish parent Dave Samuelson told the school board. "It's enough to make a guy blush. There's bumping and grinding, nothing's being done."
Spearfish school superintendent Dave Peters told parents he was aware of the concerns, and said a committee should be formed to look at the issue and come up with a policy.
"We're all after the same thing here — a safe place for our kids," he told the crowd of about 150.
Jessica Richey, a senior at SHS, said some of the movements deemed inappropriate by parents have been around for years.
"It's been an issue since way before your time," she told school officials. "Like when Elvis was around. But, the behavior isn't done by the majority of students."
Students have delivered a petition with 290 signatures to the school board President Don Aaker asking that the dances stay as they are.
Students also objected to a videotape of dancing that had been brought to the school board. The tape wasn't shown, but Richey said called it an invasion of privacy.
Parents Katie and Craig Knutson said they appreciated the board's attention, but don't want the dances canceled. They noted, however, that "some of the behavior borders sexual assault. If that happened where I work ... we'd be fired," Craig Knutson said.
SHS student Brent Swisher said only a small number of students were part of the problem. "Just ask them to leave," he told the board.
Amber Ginter, co-president of the SHS student council, said more parents should volunteer to chaperone. "The dances cannot happen without them," she said.
Peters said administrators are working to settle concerns, but he also wants parents and students to form a committee to talk about the issues.
"We can't do anything until we have a plan in place," he said.
Copyright © 2004 The Rapid City Journal
Rapid City, SD
So, I'm now serving on a committee about the dances. The entire issue is dumb, but the parents think it's a big deal, so we have to go through with changing the dances. In both articles in mentions the Halloween Dance. Leo Club sponsors that dance. I'm secretary of Leo Club, and the Halloween Dance was the one dance of the year, that I was in charge of. It was a good fundraiser for the year. And although the articles said the dances would NOT be cancelled. It was. Bummer and a half.
The school play is over. It has been keeping me busy for the past month, but with it done I have a little more spare time on my hands. For the past three weeks there has been talk about dirty dancing at school dances, or freak dancing as the administration refers to it. I started a petition to make show the students didn't think the dancing was that awful. Its main purpose was to stop the dances from being cancelled altogether. Here are two articles in which I was quoted.
Dirty dancing draws crowd at school meeting
BY KRIS GARLICK-BEATY, Black Hills Pioneer October 13, 2004
SPEARFISH - More than 150 parents and students lined up outside the conference room of the Spearfish School Board last night. The issue - "bumping and grinding," and "inappropriate behavior and attire at high school dances." Parents who recently chaperoned a homecoming dance say they were appalled by what they saw.
"A (SHS) senior asked me, 'it's a sex fest isn't it," Spearfish parent Dave Samuelson told the board. "The dances are a sexually charged environment. ... It's enough to make a guy blush.
There's bumping and grinding, ... nothing's being done. It's a quick study for freshmen entering
high school."
Superintendent of Spearfish Schools Dave Peters told the crowd he was aware of parents' concerns and recommended a committee be formed to address the issue and adapt an acceptable behavior policy.
"We're all after the same thing here - a safe place for our kids," he told the crowd. Spearfish
Board of Education President Don Aaker received a stack of yellow cards, each with a question or request for comment from an audience member.
High school students took that opportunity to deliver a petition with 290 signatures.” There are rumors that dances are going to be canceled," said Jessica Richey, a senior at SHS. "This petition supports continuing the school dances as they are. ... The students are prepared to take action."
In addition, Richey said that dancing, and some particular types of movements deemed inappropriate have actually been an issue for years.
"It's been an issue since way before your time," she told school officials. "Like when Elvis was around. ... But, the behavior isn't done by the majority of students."
Richey took issue to videotaping the dances as an invasion of their privacy. Other students supporting Richey's videotaping objection, including Christina Knutson who posed the same question to the board.
A videotape, brought by Samuelson to the board meeting was not shown to the public. Aaker told him that if it was inappropriate then, it was inappropriate now and should not be viewed at the public meeting.
Christina Knutson's parents, Katie and Craig Knutson said they appreciated the board's support and attention.
"We don't want the dances canceled," said Craig Knutson. "But, some of the behavior borders sexual assault. If that happened where I work, ... we'd be fired."
Knutson said that the school is opening itself up to all sorts of civil suits and the students are verging criminal suits.
"Our silence speaks volumes on this," he added. "Soft porn at school dances as seen on the music videos (provided by a DJ service at the dances) it's wrong."
Lynn Larsen reassured the students, "You're not going to lose your dances. ... But, we don't want a girl leaving a dance feeling violated or a boy leaving feeling uncomfortable because of his peers."
According to Larsen, parents refused to name names of those students who were deemed as acting inappropriately.
The dance attire policy is not clear, she added. "The rules are gray."
One rule, explicitly stated in the student handbook is there is no tolerance for students who are intoxicated. And, according to administrators, efforts have been improved to implement the "no alcohol or other substances" board policy.
SHS student Brent Swisher claimed, "We're talking about a small number of students here (in violation at the dances). ... Just ask them to leave."
Pamela Waterson who has worked in the SHS office for five years asked, "Why now? Why not in 2001 or 2002? Why is it such a problem now?"
Echoing Waterson, SHS Student Council Co-President Amber Ginter asked the same question.
Then added, "Grinding takes two. If you feel uncomfortable, we have police and chaperones there to help. ... If you're a girl and a guy's grinding on you, tell him to stop - get off you."
Ginter asked parents to step up and volunteer to be a chaperone. The dances can not happen without them."
Peters made available a copy of a letter from Music Express, the DJ service hired for the dances.
It recommended clarifying what appropriate attire is; what dancing styles are acceptable and what consequences should be; and, the music videos are at the request of the employer and can be monitored as such. More information can be found at Music Express' Web site www.medj.com.
The superintendent said they are scrambling to settle parents' concerns. He addressed the issues in a memorandum and called upon parents and students to form a committee to "talk about the issues" and solidify gray areas.
"We can't do anything until we have a plan in place," he said today.
The next SHS dance is scheduled for Halloween weekend, and Nov. 16 is the winter Snowball formal.
©The Black Hills Pioneer, Newspapers, South Dakota, SD 2004
Spearfish parents say ‘bumping and grinding' at school dances not appropriate
SPEARFISH (AP) — Some parents in Spearfish say behavior at high school dances is inappropriate and they want the school board to do something about it.
Parents who recently chaperoned a homecoming dance told the board at a meeting Tuesday they were appalled by what saw.
"The dances are a sexually charged environment," Spearfish parent Dave Samuelson told the school board. "It's enough to make a guy blush. There's bumping and grinding, nothing's being done."
Spearfish school superintendent Dave Peters told parents he was aware of the concerns, and said a committee should be formed to look at the issue and come up with a policy.
"We're all after the same thing here — a safe place for our kids," he told the crowd of about 150.
Jessica Richey, a senior at SHS, said some of the movements deemed inappropriate by parents have been around for years.
"It's been an issue since way before your time," she told school officials. "Like when Elvis was around. But, the behavior isn't done by the majority of students."
Students have delivered a petition with 290 signatures to the school board President Don Aaker asking that the dances stay as they are.
Students also objected to a videotape of dancing that had been brought to the school board. The tape wasn't shown, but Richey said called it an invasion of privacy.
Parents Katie and Craig Knutson said they appreciated the board's attention, but don't want the dances canceled. They noted, however, that "some of the behavior borders sexual assault. If that happened where I work ... we'd be fired," Craig Knutson said.
SHS student Brent Swisher said only a small number of students were part of the problem. "Just ask them to leave," he told the board.
Amber Ginter, co-president of the SHS student council, said more parents should volunteer to chaperone. "The dances cannot happen without them," she said.
Peters said administrators are working to settle concerns, but he also wants parents and students to form a committee to talk about the issues.
"We can't do anything until we have a plan in place," he said.
Copyright © 2004 The Rapid City Journal
Rapid City, SD
So, I'm now serving on a committee about the dances. The entire issue is dumb, but the parents think it's a big deal, so we have to go through with changing the dances. In both articles in mentions the Halloween Dance. Leo Club sponsors that dance. I'm secretary of Leo Club, and the Halloween Dance was the one dance of the year, that I was in charge of. It was a good fundraiser for the year. And although the articles said the dances would NOT be cancelled. It was. Bummer and a half.
indsendt af Jess kl.
8:31 PM
1 kommentarer:
That is so stupid. Have they not seen Footloose? Where's Kevin Bacon when you need him? Remind them that the twist used to be banned from school dances. Those parents should see the kind of dancing that goes on a clubs...and those are people you've never met! There are already cops at school dances, do they really need video surveillance as well? Most other places of the world this kind of dancing has been going on for decades, it just took awhile getting to SHS. I don't remember anyone grinding at school dances until my junior year, 2001, and that was one guy who knew how to do it. All the other guys used to just stand in the middle of the dance floor and nod their heads...at least they're dancing now!! Dancing is not the problem, small-minded conservatives are. Shake your bon bon, baby! ;) Okay, I'm done ranting now, but that is the stupidest thing ever.
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