# Principal of Catholic School cancels 'Bacchanalian' Prom **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 16, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509 "2005-10-16T21:53:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/1 "2005-10-16T21:53:05Z")
Interesting story [L.I. Principal Cancels ‘Bacchanalian’ Prom](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051015/ap_on_fe_st/prom_canceled) [Can’t Ban Post-Prom Parties? So Ban the Prom](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/nyregion/16prom.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1129499210-nINJoq2DGx63HlAUUDQKhg) ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2005, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/2 "2005-10-16T22:13:51Z")
Quite frankly, if the kids were getting so out of hand with the after parties that the police were constantly being called and had to issue a general warning like that, I can’t say I blame the principal. I didn’t go to my prom, but what my high school did was have the after prom back at the school-if you went to prom, you HAD to go to the after prom, unless you had a written permission slip from your parents. Then they had a sort of “lock in” party, with entertainments, more dancing, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/3 "2005-10-16T22:27:05Z")
I really have no opinion on this except. I just get so much _schadenfreude_ when obscenely rich preppies are inconvenienced. Throw in the parochial school angle and it’s like the whole thing was meant to give me an evil grin. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/4 "2005-10-16T23:20:14Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > I really have no opinion on this except. I just get so much _schadenfreude_ when obscenely rich preppies are inconvenienced. Throw in the parochial school angle and it’s like the whole thing was meant to give me an evil grin. What he said. And frankly, If you send your kids to a Christian school, shouldn’t you expect them to enforce Christian values, which even at their most liberal–pro gay rights, pro science, etc.–probably don’t include spending obscene amounts of money so rich kids can have drunken orgies. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/5 "2005-10-17T00:15:13Z")
I really have to ask my friends that went to Kellenberg what they think of this. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/6 "2005-10-17T13:06:20Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Quite frankly, if the kids were getting so out of hand with the after parties that the police were constantly being called and had to issue a general warning like that, I can’t say I blame the principal. Can’t blame him? I applaud him. It’s not as if he didn’t give fair warning. He said the prom couldn’t go on unless students cancelled their beach house rental. He cancelled it after he got word that some _parents_ re-rented a place. > [@](#): > > I didn’t go to my prom, but what my high school did was have the after prom back at the school-if you went to prom, you HAD to go to the after prom, unless you had a written permission slip from your parents. Then they had a sort of “lock in” party, with entertainments, more dancing, etc. Our after prom was even better than that. We really couldn’t leave. The prom was in Pittsburgh, at Station Square. Afterward, we boarded one of the boats of the Gateway Clipper fleet for the after prom party for a five hour ride up river to Monongahela, where our high school was located. If you left the party, you’d get mighty wet, in a very swift current. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/7 "2005-10-17T16:41:13Z")
… Wow - these are some really spoiled rich kids. At my graduation (we don’t have proms here), we had the entire ceremony in the school gym. Afterwards we were all herded into chartered city buses and driven out of town to a friggin’ open air hangar (like a big silo) in the rain on someone’s farm where we had a MuchMusic video dance on concrete covered in straw. And the portapotties. The portapotties! The rain got so bad by the end of the party that they had people load onto a hayrack and they used a tractor to pull them out of the mud. And they get a house in the Hamptons?! And DisneyWorld? Man, we got a day trip up to a Christian camp where we listened to nuns talk about how they discovered God. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/8 "2005-10-17T17:29:48Z")
I hate to spoil the fun, but in just a short few months, nearly all these kids are headed to a _four year long_ bacchanelian place full of sex, orgies, drinking and drugs- and this time it cost thousands upon thousands more than a prom could ever dream of. By the time they are in senior prom, most of these kids are 18 and what they do in their spare time is between them and their parents. Soon they will be facing thousands of temptations with absolutely no supervisions. I think spending tens of thousands of dollars is a little obsene, but I just can’t help but think these administrators are living in a fantasy world if they think this is going to do anything more than piss some kids off. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/9 "2005-10-17T17:52:40Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > … > > Wow - these are some really spoiled rich kids. You should watch “My Super Sweet 16” on MTV. It’s a reality show about kids that don’t live in the real world. Their parents spend on them like they are Paris Hilton. It’s like a four car pile up on the freeway with no survivors. You can’t look away. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/10 "2005-10-17T17:55:05Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > I hate to spoil the fun, but in just a short few months, nearly all these kids are headed to a _four year long_ bacchanelian place full of sex, orgies, drinking and drugs- and this time it cost thousands upon thousands more than a prom could ever dream of. … I just can’t help but think these administrators are living in a fantasy world if they think this is going to do anything more than piss some kids off. I don’t think that’s the point. These kids can have as much Bacchanalian orgy as they like, I suppose, but why should the school sponsor it or encourage it? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/11 "2005-10-17T18:13:58Z")
Especially if that school is run by a religion that tries to encourage different behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/12 "2005-10-17T18:15:19Z")
What’s spectacularly funny about all of this: Right now there is a petty shitstorm whirling in an insular, hoity toity suburb of New York over whether a pack of overindulged Catholic youths can get shitfaced and dryhump after school. And you just know the parents are in a twisty wad over it. You know some of the frattier among them want the principle’s head. And he probably is a self-righteous douchebag like most principles, right or wrong in this case, so watching him flail is more free entertainment. Oh, the struggles of the upper crust and their toadies. Brings a little tear to the corner of my eye. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/13 "2005-10-17T18:48:35Z")
Wait a minute… there are parents out there who are not only allowing, but _encouraging_ their childrean to get drunk and have sex while they’re in high school? Methinks that’s gotta take half the fun out of it. I mean doing that kinda stuff was fun, but so was making sure that you didn’t get caught. Scary, but fun (when it was over and you weren’t caught). Lucky brats. Hope they get what’s comin’ to 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/14 "2005-10-17T18:51:09Z")
I don’t know if this is the right course of action or not, but even though I’m from this area, I’m astonished at the parents’ end of it. They’re really blowing tens of thousands of dollars on the prom? For the kids to get drunk? Is this how you say “congratulations, junior!” when you’re a rich idiot? It’s not as if I’ve never heard of this before. In fact, I’ve heard worse. Still, it’s pretty amazing. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/15 "2005-10-17T18:54:04Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > I hate to spoil the fun, but in just a short few months, nearly all these kids are headed to a _four year long_ bacchanelian place full of sex, orgies, drinking and drugs- and this time it cost thousands upon thousands more than a prom could ever dream of. > > By the time they are in senior prom, most of these kids are 18 and what they do in their spare time is between them and their parents. Soon they will be facing thousands of temptations with absolutely no supervisions. I think spending tens of thousands of dollars is a little obsene, but I just can’t help but think these administrators are living in a fantasy world if they think this is going to do anything more than piss some kids off. Very true, but it won’t be sponsored by the Catholic Church. Unless, of course, they go to a Catholic College. BTW, I’m a little confused about this mandatory after-prom thing. What if you just got tired and wanted to go home? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/16 "2005-10-17T19:03:43Z")
I guess this means we shouldn’t be blaming the teenagers who take part in these activities, but the boneheads who sired them for _encouraging_ them. Long Island, conspicuous consumption at its finest. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/17 "2005-10-17T19:04:18Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > What’s spectacularly funny about all of this: Right now there is a petty shitstorm whirling in an insular, hoity toity suburb of New York over whether a pack of overindulged Catholic youths can get shitfaced and dryhump after school. And you just know the parents are in a twisty wad over it. You know some of the frattier among them want the principle’s head. And he probably is a self-righteous douchebag like most principles, right or wrong in this case, so watching him flail is more free entertainment. Oh, the struggles of the upper crust and their toadies. Brings a little tear to the corner of my eye. I don’t know about your school, but around here, after prom means SEX, not dryhumping. There is a reason the phrase “off like a prom dress” exists! And remember, the Princi **pal** is your **pal**. 😃 Otherwise, I think the little spoiled brats should be forced to do 3 years in the Peace Corps, just to teach them a lesson or two. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/18 "2005-10-17T19:07:21Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > BTW, I’m a little confused about this mandatory after-prom thing. What if you just got tired and wanted to go home? My school did something similar after graduation. It was a lot of fun. The aswer to your querry is simple. It’s an exciting night, and your just not gonna get tired. And even if you do there will be (usually) some kind of “quiet room” where you could go to take a nap. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/19 "2005-10-17T19:08:32Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I don’t know about your school, but around here, after prom means SEX, not dryhumping. There is a reason the phrase “off like a prom dress” exists! And remember, the Princi **pal** is your **pal**. 😃 > > Otherwise, I think the little spoiled brats should be forced to do 3 years in the Peace Corps, just to teach them a lesson or two. Ah, you noticed I can’t spell to save my life! 😉 Really, it’s not so much that I have anything against Catholic rich kids in particular (as opposed to spoiled brats in general), it’s just the irony of a Catholic bacchanalia. When my Dad went to Catholic school, the nuns literally used to beat him silly over things like being left-handed. Now it’s “Why don’t we get drunk and screw!”…and the school has to ponder the controversy of weighing in on orgies. I love it! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509/20 "2005-10-17T20:30:56Z")
> [@even sven](#): > > I hate to spoil the fun, but in just a short few months, nearly all these kids are headed to a _four year long_ bacchanelian place full of sex, orgies, drinking and drugs- and this time it cost thousands upon thousands more than a prom could ever dream of. Yes, but that’s not the _express purpose_ of college, it’s something that comes with living on your own with the other students. These lavish parties, on the other hand, are sponsored by the parents, and they’re really nothing BUT excuses to get wasted and/or laid. > [@](#): > > I just can’t help but think these administrators are living in a fantasy world if they think this is going to do anything more than piss some kids off. I don’t know. I don’t really support this, but it seems to me that the school is allowed to say “go crazy with these parties if you want- but we can’t support it.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/principal-of-catholic-school-cancels-bacchanalian-prom/326509.md?page=2)