Senior Class Leaves Mixed Legacy

Between the McPherson basketball tournament, the New York Marketing trip and Drill Team Ball, Principal Karl Krawitz has had many Monday morning meetings with members of the senior class of 2013. With 28 drug and alcohol contract violations by the senior class this year alone, Krawitz is tired of these meetings. But so are the students. Members of the senior class feel targeted this year by the administration.

The numerous violations have prompted Dr. Krawitz to get stricter with punishments this semester. He’s felt pressure from the community — Prairie Village Police Chief Wes Jordan recently called a meeting with East administrators and the assistant district attorney to discuss the high number of alcohol and drug cases involving East students going through the courthouse. Other administrators joke with him about East’s reputation of excessive drinking.

So Dr. Krawitz has become more stringent. After a handful of students were caught drinking in McPherson — a school sponsored event — on Jan. 18, they received a five day out of school suspension. But Dr. Krawitz decided to take the punishment a little further: he placed a ban prohibiting them from going to any more school-sponsored events, from soccer games to Prom.

“I have an old saying: if you’re not present, you’re never a problem,” Dr. Krawitz said.

Senior Mitch Sauls, who was caught in McPherson, is upset with the punishment. He feels he and the other persons involved are being unfairly targeted as an example and warning to other students.

“[The administration] should enforce the no drinking policy for everyone and have a set punishment,” Sauls said.

Sauls isn’t the only one upset with the administration this year. Senior Patrick Simmons thinks that Dr. Krawitz needs to loosen up, from monitoring chants at basketball games to doling out punishment, specifically the one for the students involved in McPherson.

“They should understand we’re high school students, and they can’t control everything we do, but keep it under control,” Simmons said.

The tension between the students and administration is caused in part by a disagreement over the seriousness of the crime — teen drinking.

While Dr. Krawitz supports that underage drinking is against the law and is not at all respectable, Sauls thinks “teenagers are idiots by nature and there’s nothing school officials can do to stop it.” Still, there are students who support the views of the administration, such as senior Helena Buchmann.

“I’m not saying that I’m innocent, that I haven’t partaken in certain activities that the administration doesn’t approve of,” Buchmann said. “But one thing that our grade specifically struggles with is straddling the line between casual experimenting with things that, because we’re teenagers, [we] try out and break the rules with, and then risky and unsafe behavior.”

According to Dr. Krawitz, the tension is not alleviated by parent involvement. He says that many parents avoid talking about the crime altogether and focus only on the punishment.

“Administratively we haven’t been treated very well by the parents of those who have been at fault, as if the problem is the school’s problem and not the kid’s,” Dr. Krawitz said.

A byproduct of the tension is misconception on what punishments for misconduct really are and what changes will come from it. This has led to rumors circulating about what could be banned next year because of the senior class’s misbehavior.

The New York Marketing trip, a staple trip in the fall for Marketing 2 students, may or may not be happening in the future due to this year’s seniors alleged abuse of their freedom and violation of the drug and alcohol contract.

“At this point I would say no [it’s not happening] but I told my juniors that it was something we could talk about at the beginning of the year next year,” Marketing teacher Mercedes Rasmussen said.

Drill Team/Cheer Ball will still go on next year (held at Blue Valley North), but cheer captain Emma Robson confirms that due to accusations of Lancer Dancers possessing alcohol, East will not be invited.

Seniors will not be able to leave for second semester seminar next year, but that’s a new district policy, not a result of misconduct. Open lunch for seniors will still be an option, according to associate principal and next year’s Principal John McKinney.

This year’s senior class will be leaving behind a legacy that entails the highest MIP count — 65 — and broken privileges. Simmons thinks that the senior class is no more troubled than any other, but that they’ve gotten in more trouble because the administration has “cracked down.” Dr. Krawitz believes the issue lies in the publicity of the incidents.

“I am not sure this year’s senior class is any different than any other class, except their alcohol cases have been more out in the open and public which gives the perception that the senior class is out of control,” Dr. Krawitz said.

Whatever the reason, the senior class as a whole has gained a bad reputation because of the actions of only a portion of the students. According to Dr. Krawitz, while there are things the seniors should be commended for, the class’s record MIP count continues to veil these successes.

“When the student body can say to the rest of these kids that are really impacting or overshadowing all the great things happening in this building, until they can say that’s behavior we’re not going to accept, then I think the problem will go on,” Dr. Krawitz said.

It could be hard for the seniors to reconcile their legacy at this point in the year, but with a new principal and new senior class, a fresh slate could provide an opportunity for better relationships and conduct next year.

“I’m hoping that [the administration] will reevaluate next year and look at how our class is shaping up and give us a fresh start,” junior Mitchell Tyler said.