School expells 14, puts prom on hold after "epic" food fight

About 100 students participated in the melee. One kid was seen emptying a condiment tray of relish over another student's head. "Once food started flying, it was all over the ceiling and floor," says a student. "It was pretty great." (Seattle Times | KING5.com)

Comments

[RockyMtnMac]

* a moment of silence for John Belushi......
"A ZIT!! FOOD FIGHT!!!!!"
This school administration needs an enema.

[Displaced]

The high school articles are funny today. I say make them clean up the mess and buy the amount of food thrown to donate to some hungry people.

[MONKEY JERKm]

PROBABLY 10 TIMES MORE FUN THAN THE PROM ANYWAY

[mianne]

Let's see.. A bunch of kids decided to have a bit of raunchy, but mostly harmless fun. As kids since the dawn of humanity are wont to do.

The school, could have chosen a rational, proportional response. Detention for the instigators, making them pay for the food and the cleanup...

Or, expel the instigators, and cancel the senior prom. Thereby punishing students who were not apart of it, and bringing a national spotlight onto the school. One that makes the admins look like assclowns, while encouraging more copycat incidents toward the end of the school year than would have otherwise occurred.

And schools are supposed to instill smarts? (Ok, I know they're really designed to instill conformity, but I digress)

[Aaron]

As long as the students help clean up the mess, the punishment is way over the top. I understand that schools have to keep the peace, but how is this bad enough to get expelled?

[stopeatingmysesamecake]

Ok, I'm going to be a buzz-kill here, but the quotes from students show they are really self-centered and dumb.

What did they think would happen?

It was fun. Someone else will clean up the mess.

DBags.

[SwarthyTroll]

LIBERALs and unions have destroyed our schools. They got rid of the common sense.

That said, I'd prefer a food fight to a prom any day. The memories will last forever.

[lynn]

FOOD FIGHT!!!!!

we used to have them mostly on a friday or the last day before holidays started. it let off steam, made us all laugh. heck, sometimes even the teachers would join in. jello fights were the best--and sliding across the floor contests.
we had to clean up afterward and didn't mind.

once the seniors even toilet papered the VP's office with the help of the secretary--

the administrators need a chill pill and some 80's music

[Zimbabalouie]

The admins should be grateful that the students didn't know about Masturbation month

[joel]

SEMSC - I know you are one of the classic posters here on OS&RR but...wasn't everyone in high school self-centered and dumb.

I, and millions of people in this country, over the age of 35 anyway, witnessed and probably were a part of these thing routinely. We didn't care who we hit, who we humilited, how expensive the sweater was that we just trashed, we just did it. It really doesn't have anything to do with right or wrong. Like senior cut day (where I came from) Everyone knows it is going to happen, the school gets self righteous and tries to stop it, and it still happens, and it is usually completely fun and harmless. Lynn and mianne are dead on right.

Short story-I have fond memories of the teacher/lunch monitor who saw the food fight starting and the only thing he could do was hide behind the curtains that were hanging in the lunchroom. It was an epic FF and he knew he had to take cover. I still laugh 28 years later.

[stopeatingmysesamecake]

Joel:

Very true. But oh, have times changed. Years ago, a food fight may have been left with a 'clean it up - no harm, no foul'. And also, a tylenol wouldn't have meant a suspension, and a 2nd grader kissing a girl on the cheek wouldn't have been sexual assualt.

Any teenager nowadays should know that they will get this kind of reaction.

Is the fun the food fight itself, or really just about doing something against the rules?

If its about fighting with food- Get buy-in from the admin and hold a fundraiser for a food shelter out on the football field or something. Donate food or $$ to a food pantry in the name of the winning food fight side.

Once in a while we get a story here where somehow students come up with a clever and really cool prank that doesn't involve damage to property or persons. But I know that isn't easy.

[David]

The school should take a chill pill, have the students clean it up and thank their stars school will be out soon.

expulsion and canceling the prom is nonsense says this liberal.

[stopeatingmysesamecake]

"The school should take a chill pill, have the students clean it up and thank their stars school will be out soon."

Good idea going forward, but unless they had them do it Day 1, too late here.

[Zimbabalouie]

Jake Jake, Jake when your revolution comes you are going to need a bigger wall. Lighten up Francis! Teens aren't forever. They grow up and become adults with needs, feelings, issues, and therapists.

I say when it comes to the revolution we give the teens a pass.

[nellagain]

A word for us all

Ephebiphobia
a fear and loathing of adolescents by adults ...

[Lou Sussler]

Ephebiphobia
a fear and loathing of adolescents by adults ...

Incarceration
the opposite of ephebiphobia...

[twerp]

They should consider themselves lucky they didn't get arrested on charges of food assult....waaaay too many sandwich assult stories out there.

[dobie]

I've been grinning since I saw the term "epic food fight". Those kids will have a great story for the rest of their lives. "Our senior food fight was so big it made national news."

[Kelly]

Us adults always SAY that the kids should have known better and they should have known that the response of the school would be over the top, etc...

Funny thing, I don't remember thinking about any of that stuff when I was a teenager. Also, I don't remember anyone else thinking about them (don't lie to yourselves)! My only concern was that I didn't hurt anyone. Consequences? That was something that happened to other people.

And I was an average (mostly) good kid. I don't think teenagers have changed much since then. Our reaction to them sure has. Our whole society is a bunch of whine bags.

What bothers me the most here though is this: It was crappy for the school to cancel prom and expel those kids. But I think that going back on a proglumated consequence sends a much worse message than the poorly thought out consequence itself. It tells every kid at that school that consequences for misbehavior are up for negotiation. Then we all wonder why theres so many people in prison and on welfare.

[nunya]

who put a corncob up the schools a**? geez..it's a FOOD fight,not a GANG fight,for crying out loud. make'em clean up afterwards.big freakin deal.glad these party poopers were'nt around when i was in school..we had a blast!