High School Problems
Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:
We were excited that our football team made it to the final round of competition at Met Life Stadium on December 5. It was great to see so many people from our community support our team, band, and cheerleaders for this final event. The high school even ran student fan buses for close to 90 students. Although the final score did not go our way, we are extremely proud of our coaches and players.
Unfortunately, despite previous warnings and pleas for assistance, Ridgewood High School was not portrayed in the best light in the stands or in the parking lot. Administrators and faculty members spent much of the game dealing with students that were under the influence and/or involved in disruptive behavior. In addition, the parking lot in the Ridgewood section was left in a very poor state with trash and broken bottles.
As we move forward, we hope this event will be a learning experience for all. The incidents referenced above are not unique to this one weekend and come on the heels of the most recent issues at RHS regarding students and postings on social media sites, i.e., Yik Yak, Finstagram, Instagram, etc. Many of these negative behaviors we have been experiencing are illegal, disruptive, and/or dangerous. These incidents give us a chance to pause, reflect, and engage in meaningful discussions about character and decision-making. We do not want to have these conversations after a tragic or permanently harmful event occurs.
Students, parents, and educators are continually being challenged to set limits in children’s lives that effectively support growth and healthy behavior. Although initially frustrated, children thrive and are grateful in the long run when parents and educators set parameters and limits. These concerns are not unique to Ridgewood but must be shared as a community.
At RHS, we will continue to have educational discussions with our students about the effects of drugs and alcohol; assist in the emotional, psychological, and physical development of our teenagers; and teach about character and decision-making through class lessons, athletics, and the arts.
In the weeks and months to come, we will be engaging in conversations with students and parents throughout the community. We encourage you to do the same. If you have any suggestions or feedback you wish to share, please reach out to any teacher, coach, or administrator as we work on determining the best course of action to help our youth reach their fullest potential.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Gorman, Ed.D.
Principal
A Tradition of Excellence
Punks….
What happened to the so called adults that were there?
Sounds more like the parking lots after a Jets game
I blame the parents who were there. Why is everyone so afraid to speak up? Say to the kids “okay, I think you’ve had enough”, “hey, we’ve got a garbage bag over here, throw that crap into it . . . it’s not okay to leave it for someone else to pick up”
the problem boils down to spoiled enabled kids who can do whatever they want and know there are no consequences for their actions. I would guess that there were some parents and teachers there supervising.. whey didn’t they speak up. I guess they were afraid of hurting someone’s feelings.
I watched the streaming game on MSG Barsity. The camera panned the Ridgewood crowd and one high school aged boy gave the finger to the camera – for the entire time the camera pointed into the stands. It seemed like forever.
Tailgating is something that adult and college sports fans do. How many Facebook posts of tailgates have you seen this fall? All pics of your neighbors drinking in the parking lot. This is also seen in the Facebook posts from parents traveling to college football games and partying with the kids. Did any of you stop and think how pathetic you look drinking at a frat party? And then you make things worse by posting those photos for the world to see.
So parents, the kids are just mimickng your behavior. Think about that the next time you post your party pics. Some parents think that they look cool, most just look like puffy boozers.
PJ, don’t let this one go. The bad behavior starts with the parents. And I don’t mean only the parents of the drunken students, many of whom stayed home, and turned a blind eye on the behavior of their kids. That’s on them, and it’s there problem. But how about the parents who did attend, arriving at 12 o’clock to begin partying? This was encouraged and promoted. They are of legal age and can do what they want at a tailgate. Is that the answer? How can kids model good behavior when they see their parents or the parents of the football players drunk as skunks in the parking lot? Ridgewood HS sent a letter out stating that this would be treated as a school function. Can you imagine of the high school had assigned an undercover or uniformed RPD officer to attend? You’d have drunken parents handing him a drink and later threatening to sue the school district. Take a look in the mirror. You won’t like what you see.
Only in RIDGEWOOD…the sense of intitlement is astounding.