The Mail-Journal, Volume 22, Number 17, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 April 1985 — Page 5

Letters to the editor

Wawasee Code of Conduct conies into question

Dear Editor:

As many people in the community may know by now, the Spanish classes of Wawasee High School were given the opportunity to go on a trip to Mexico this spring. Seventeen students were able to provide the necessary financial means to go on this trip. All expenses were the responsibility of the students and their parents. The school did not pay for anything. These seventeen students and their two chaperones, Mrs. Donna Yargosz, the Spanish teacher, and Mrs. Howard Hull, our principal’s wife, departed Wawasee High School on March 28th. They traveled to Mexico City, Taxco and Acapulco. Everything went great and a good time was had by all until they reached Acapulco. Upon arriving at their hotel in Acapulco, they found chaos in the lobby because of other school groups also trying to check in. This is where the trouble started. Four of the girls, our daughter included, went to their room only to find that it had not yet been cleaned. They ran in anyway, throwing open doors and drawers, checking out their room. One of the doors they opened revealed a stocked bar. It contained soft drinks, peanuts, hard liquor and beer. They drank the soft drinks, ate the peanuts, and then each took a beer, toasted Acapulco, and took one swig. With that action, they broke the Wawasee Code of Conduct arid the Wawasee Athletic Code of Conduct. Then they headed for the beach where they spent the afternoon sitting with the chaperones.. When the maid cleaned their room, she took inventory of the consumed items of the bar and reported it to the desk to be added to the room bill. The desk called Mrs. Yargosz and she then called the girls’ room to confront them with their crime. This event has been reported to the High School, punishment has been handed out to each of the girls, and they are serving their sentences. We have no quarrel with the fact that they broke a rule and must be punished. However, when we were told about this offense by our daughter, we started asking questions and have learned some startling things. At the beginning of the trip, one of the boys asked Mrs. Yargosz if he could obtain booze in Mexico to bring back to his parents as a gift. She said “Yls,” and Mrs. Hull offered to bring it through Customs for him since it is illegal for him to do so.

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We found this very interesting since the boy is also underage, he has been disciplined by the school for an alcohol related incident during the past year, and he was also on a school trip. The Wawasee High School rules clearly read that no alcoholic beverages are allowed on a school trip and it was prohibited for a student to bring alcoholic beverages back according to a letter sent home by Mrs. Yargosz. Why did they have the right to waive the rules in his case? Was it right for Mrs. Hull to assist in bringing booze home for him knowing it was against the rules for a student to do so? How do they know that he brought only two bottles? Could he have purchased more and consumed without their knowledge? After all, he did have their permission to get booze. By giving their permission, weren’t they placing him in jeopardy of possible arrest by the Mexican police? (We were informed before the trip that the legal age for drinking in Mexico is 18.) Another thing we learned is that the chaperones admitted to the girls that they were supposed to have checked the rooms before the students entered them. The chaperones did not do this in Acapulco even though they knew there was the possibility that there would be bars in their rooms. We asked if the students knew this and Mrs. yargosz said, “No, we didn’t tell them because we were afraid they would try to pick the lock.” Now, really!!! We’re having trouble understanding why you would trust students to enter unchecked rooms when you don’t feel they can be trusted not to try to pick a lock. These girls did not enter that room with the intent of drinking. When they stumbled upon the bar, it was a spur-of-the-moment, foolish act by four 16 year old girls giddy with excitement. BUT, it was wrong. Haven’t the chaperones also been wrong in some of their decisions? Weren’t they remiss in their chaperoning duties? What kind of punishment will they get? The four girls have received punishment as follows. 1. Suspension from all athletics for one calendar year. 2. Three days in I.S.S. (InSchool Suspension) 3. No HIT (Honors Independent Time) privileges for this grading period. They can reduce the one year suspension from athletics to six months if they attend a licensed

drug/alcohol program at their own expense, and the Bowen Center has been recommended. We feel this punishment is too harsh for the crime committed. We have learned that many of the students at the school have suffered the same punishment. We feel the school is being unfair to all students who have made one mistake. They’re human beings and all human beings are going to make some mistakes. We have also learned that many of the students at the school have broken the same rule, but they haven’t been caught yet or have lied out of it. This brings up another important point. These four young girls told the truth from the first moment they were confronted. Since their room was dirty when they arrived, it would have been so easy to have said “the former occupants must have consumed the beverages. ” “They did not lie!! They have proven they are human by making a wrong decision but they have maintained their integrity by never lying about it. I’m afraid the same cannot be said about some of the administration who sit in judgment of our students. About 5 years ago, our Athletic Director was publicly exposed in the newspaper for falsifying his coaching record on his application for employment at another school system. In other words, folks, he lied. He still sits in judgment of our students in Steps I & II of the Discipline Appeals Procedure. We feel that if our daughter is expected to never make a mistake, then she should be judged by people who have never made one. We are well aware that drug and alcohol abuse is rampant among teenagers across the nation. We know that the #1 killer of the nation’s teenagers is automobile accidents where drugs or alcohol have been found to be involved. Do you know what the #2 killer of our teenagers is? It’s suicide!! We are concerned that one of the students in our little community will be so despondent after getting “the book thrown at them” by the school that they will commit suicide. Don’t sit there and think it won’t happen here. Teen suicide is happening all across this nation, and when you stand helplessly by and watch your child lay sobbing on his/her bed saying “I wish I were dead, I wish I were dead,” after being stripped of everything he/she has worked for because of one mistake, it makes you stop and think. We don’t need harsher punishments, or rules that are more strict. Prohibition proved that you can’t stop people from drinking just by making it illegal. We need to work with our students, educate them about why they shouldn’t drink or do drugs, and then help them if they do make a mistake. We think the community and the schoolare doing the first two, but when students make that first mistake, they are not being helped by getting the book thrown at them. Yes, we do have some habitual offenders at our school and this has to be dealt with, but the kids who make only one mistake and admit it are being punished just the same as if they were habitual offenders. We don’t think this is fair. If you feel that we may be right in our feelings, then do something. Get together, go to the school board, try to come up with a system that recognizes that students are people too. Don’t do what we did. Don’t sit there blind to what is happening until it erupts in your home as it did in ours. We knew about some of the harsh punishments but we closed our eyes, hoping it would never happen to our family. Well, it did happen to us... and it could happen to you! We feel that these four girls have learned two messages from all of this: 1. They would never have been in trouble if they had lied. 2. There are double standards ''iri'their school system (They have seenfirst-hand that the rules can be waived at the teacher’s or chaperone’^discretion.) We are publicly telling these girls and all of the other students who have told the truth and paid the price ... we are PROUD of you for telling the truth. One mistake does not make you a 2ndclass citizen. Your honesty is refreshing and makes you a very welcome addition to this community and this country! Thank you for your time. Bob and Sandy McNary Appreciate trip to Mexico Dear Editor: This is an open letter to Donna Yargosz and Lisa Hull. Thank you! We sincerely appreciate your individual efforts in making the recent WHS Spanish class Mexico trip a successful reality. Your planning, organiz-

ing, and participation resulted in an extremely worthwhile experience for the students — an experience they’ll never forget. Individual and group needs were conscientiously addressed to insure a realistic balance of learning and fun. You’re both to be commended. Thank you. Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Morgan Students enjoyed trip Dear Editor: We the students of Wawasee High School who participated in the recent Mexico field trip would like to thank the school administration, the school board, our parents, and the community for permitting us the opportunity of a lifetime! Special thanks go to Donna Yargosz and Lisa Hull. Under their supervision and leadership, we were exposed to a mixture of education, culture, and fun. We visited the ancient Pyramids of Teotihuacan, the Shrine of Guadalupe, the silver shops of Taxco, and the sun and beautiful beaches of Acapulco. Mrs. Hull and Mrs. Yargosz fit in very well with the students, providing excellent supervision while giving us enough freedom to enjoy our trip. Only now do we recognize the magnitude of the planning and coordination that Mrs. Yargosz put into the trip. Over a year’s worth of preparation and many school board meetings laid a strong foundation for a very worthwhile experience. As a group, we enjoyed the opportunity to practice our Spanish, as well as learn about the culture like no book could ever teach. We felt that we benefited greatly from the trip and cannot urge strongly enough the need for continued support. Without the help that we received, especially from our chaperones, we never would have been able to make this trip. Once again, we thank all of the people who made it all possible. Sincerely, Sheila Bogart, Jon Morgan, Irma Cruz, Michelle Leffler, Tyna Haney, Belinda Whitridge, Kathy Pearson, Mitzi Clayton, Cindy Laver, John Layton, Stacie Boles, Jack Jennings, Amy Eberly, and Marcus Mcßloom. WHS faculty speaks out Dear Editor: As teachers of Wawasee High School, as parents of children, and as interested community servants, we have written our reply to a letter to the editor which was written a week ago entitled, “An Open Letter to All Who Care About Teens.” Our letter is also a reply to individuals who have criticized our school system’s rules, regulations, our chaperones, and our enforcement policies. Our feelings are that we, and our rules, operate for the good of the student and the community. We care! We believe that our rules and athletic codes are very good ones. They have been scrutinized by the student government, the faculty, the administration, and the school board before being legally adopted. Teachers and students alike are made aware of all that is stated in these rules. The students are well aware that we expect them to show committment and responsibility towards these rules. They know the consequences in advance. Unfortunately in some cases the students and their parents believe that they are above the rules and regulations. For instance, recently Wawasee Spanish teacher Donna Yargosz had organized and sponsored a trip to Mexico. She received no monetary benefits for this program nor did her volunteer chaperone Lisa Hull. It actually cost them money to go. Both gave up a week of vacation to make available a learning experience which was truly valuable for the students. During the course of the experience, however, the chaperones discovered that the students had liquor accessible to them in their rooms in unlocked refrigerators Four students admitted to drinking the alcohol. Regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed, this was a violation of our school’s rules and athletic codes. When it came time to enforce our rules and codes, we found that our chaperones were accused by the parents of these children for not forseeing this problem. Two groups of parents addressed the coaches asking for a reduction in time of their children’s absence from athletics. They wanted to plea bargain with a letter to the editor geared at attacking our chaperones and our school which they threatened to publish if they didn’t get the response they wanted. This tactic is deplorable and only would be used by individuals who feel that the rules

are not meant for themselves, and that when they are punished their only recourse is to attack the system instead of accepting their own blame. Our chaperones were even accused of “transporting liquor” when one of them turned a small one ounce souvenir bottle of liquor over to the parent of a boy who had asked permission to do so! In many cases, school employees and their spouses go beyond the call of duty to give students an opportunity to have a new and unforgettable learning experience. These same people deserve our praise and support when they invest their time, money and energies to help our students. They should not he used as scapegoats to pass the blame or divert attention from when students are found to be in violation of the rules. The fact is that some of these students proved they could not be trusted when left alone in their quarters. Furthermore, what bothers us as educators is the fact that these parents are more concerned with the penalty the students have to face than with what their children have done wrong! The system is you, the public, and the student, and the school board; we are only your servants and we can only be as good and effective as you allow us to be. Very caring educators, Joel Robbins, Jerry Johnson, Phil Metcalf, Stanley D. Grabowicz, Ronald David Corson, Terry Iden, Donna Daniel, Pam Pletcher, Randy Warren, Dale Brannock, Pat Huber, Philip K. Fawley, Janie Leach, Cindy Peterson, Ruthann Angle, M. E. Medich, Steven M. Bailey, Linda Harkleroad, Terri Stevens, Rudy Cesco, James Alford and Hal Traviolia Also, Darryl Umbower, Tim Caldwell, Barb Brouwer, Chris Kline, Cynthia Bryan, Joseph Trimboli, Donald Storey, Bill Guinther, Marilynne Curtis, Judith Ross, Jerry Lambert and Tom Robinson And, Kim Wayne Lobsiger, Karen A. Parr, Scott Siler, David Goodrum, Richard E. Welborn, Pam Schumm, Jerry D. Minton, Lisa D. DiPaolo, Robert K. Kitson, Sue Kraft, Becky A. Brodhead, Anne Dahlstrom, David S. Blackwell, Lee Troyer, Vernon G. Zurcher, Michael L. Neff, Esther Rider, JoAnn Robinson, Judy Thomas and Marilyn Nash. Sympathetic to Grace Commission Dear Editor: Thank you for expressing your support for the proposals listed in The President’s Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, known as the “Grace Commission.” I am very sympathetic to your desire that Congress and the Administration act on these recommendations. President Reagan charged the Grace Commission, headed by business executive J. Peter Grace, to explore government operations in order to eliminate waste. The Commission recommended to the President 2,478 cost-cutting measures which would save $424 billion in three years. According to the Commission’s report, these savings could be achieved without resorting to raising taxes, drastically cutting social welfare programs, or weakening our national defense. Instead, the report concentrates on proposals to root out government inefficiency. Many of these inefficiencies result from poor management. Mismanagement has resulted in extreme waste in the way the government administers its social welfare programs, maintaining its equipment, such as computers, and its collection of tax revenues and government loans. In the State of the Union Address, the President strongly suggested to Congress to'study and act on the Commission’s proposals. As a part of the “Deficit Reduction Act of 1984,” which is a threeyear plan to reduce the federal deficit by $l5O billion, Congress passed provisions that implement some of the proposals of the Grace Commission. The first provision authorizes and requires data on earned and unearned income to be made available from the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration to agencies administering means-tested Federal benefit programs. This measure is needed to “weed out” fraud in social welfare programs. The second provision allows the Treasury Department, in limited cases, to deduct from an individual’s tax refund uncollected government debts — such as student loan repayments. The third provision would accelerate the deposit and collection of federal non-tax receipts, such as customs duties. The President signed the Deficit Reduction Act on July 18. Please be assured that I will continue to study future proposals in greater depth and make further recommendations that

will induce government efficiency. The same high efficiency standards that are expected of private business should apply as well to the government. Thank you again for taking the time to express your views on this issue. Please feel free to contact me again on other issues of importance. Sincerely, Dan Quayle United States Senator No assistance offered Dear Editor: A large group of taxpaying, sewer-paying residents of Syracuse attended a town board meeting last Tuesday night. I being one. Their one plea was “help” from the board to pump raw sewage from their basements as a result of antiquated and over-crowded sewer lines. It was sad and disheartening to view what appeared to be apathy on the part of the board. They sat in silence and offered no assistance or encouragement to these people in their desperate situations. Evidently our officials don’t really care about the people they serve, and aren’t willing to help when called upon. The board was very anxious about starting the new town hall building. Do they care more about outward appearances than he health and welfare of the people? Where are their priorities? I challenge the town board to show the people, if they really care about them, and come up with a solution to their problems by the next meeting and help those in desperate need immediately. One of the people, Bess Stetler, Syracuse The very first game Yes, lacrosse is in Indiana! Surprised? I am referring to the 1985 Indiana State Lacrosse Championship game played at Wawasee High School on April 21 between the Wawasee Lacrosse Club and the Culver Military Academy Lacrosse Club. Those who attended were privileged to see the first high school game played in the state of Indiana. Wow! What a game! For the past two one-half years, the Wawasee club members have worked diligently to raise money to purchase their equipment. Since the sport is not funded through the school’s athletic program, it has been necessary to ask for donations, sponsor car washes and a Lift-a-thon. Through hard work, dedication, a lot of physical stress, and the expert guidance of their volunteer coach, Thorpe Mitchell, the club has come into existence. • These young men at Wawasee High School are to be congratulated for a job well done! And a sincere “thank you” to Coach Mitchell for all the training, support, and giving of his own. I am sure the parents and all who attended the game on Sunday were overwhelmed by what they saw. After all, the standing ovation given at the end of the game was for you, coach, and your fine young athletes. Lacrosse is exciting; it’s rough,rewarding, and certainly a man’s sport. Being the parent of one of the team members, I am indeed very proud of this fine club. “A”sMom, Wanda Grisso Appreciates Future Farmers Dear Editor: Last Monday evening I had the priviledge of attending the Future Farmers of America awards banquet at Wawasee High School. I left after the program was over with a deep appreciation for the work of these young people and their advisor, Randy Warren. In a spirit of cooperation the FFA students have won recognition and awards all over the state. In the process they have earned support from a large number of people in the community and they took the time to thank all of them. The obvious respect these young men and women show for learning the skills which make mature adults out of high school students make you feel good about the future of our country. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Warren for their work in building up this program and to Wawasee High School and our school board for making it possible. Sincerely, Charles Haffner

Wed., April 24,1985 — THE MAIL-JOURNAL

Below the .. . Courthouse Dome By RON SHARP

MAY 10th IS the deadline for paying our local spring property tax installment. County Treasurer Vicky Shoemaker has mailed more than 50,000 statements to county property owners. Warsaw taxpayers have the distinction of having the highest rate with, $8.24 per SIOO of taxable property. The lowest rate will be paid by Lake township property owners with a rate of $3.79. this compared with 10 years ago when Pierceton property owners paid the highest rate of $8.25 and Seward township the lowest with $4.81. U.S. News and World Report in April 1984 reported that Indiana property tax payers rated 30th in the nation as far as their tax rates were concerned. The average per person in the nation was $362. Indiana’s average was $3lO. Kosciusko county’s average for the 1985 year would be about $330. In 1984 Alaska led all states with a per capital cost of SB9B. The GOP-controlled General Assembly passed another tax increase in the 1985 session. The motor fuel tax was increased by .029. The latest increase uped the state tax on motor fuel (gasoline) to .14 cents per gallon. Gov. Bob Orr was the architect for the latest grab. (Remember in recent legislative session he led the charge to increase the sales tax 25 per cent and almost double the gross income tax). Orr made repeated speeches during the past few months urging the General Assembly members to increase the gasoline tax, commenting that the funds were needed to repair Indiana highways. He was joined by some Republican assembly members who contended that the reveihue was down due to the improvement in gas mileage in the late. motel vehicles. Apparently Orr and General Assembly members did not do their homework. They should have been aware of this fact: State Auditor Otis Cox recently released the expenditure and revenue report for the 1984 year. It reveals that there was almost an 18 per cent increase in revenue in the motor fuel account. The state collected $442,712,000 in 1984 as compared to $359,036,000 in 1983. In fact, the state collected more motor fuel tax in 1984 than any time in history. In 1979 $209,098,000 was collected. Orr stated that he hoped that there would be $370,000,000 for roads by boosting the tax. However, General Assembly members left intact the formula for distribution of the fund that are used on the roads. Twenty-five percent of the funds distributed for roads is placed in a Local Road and Street Fund. In this fund pickup trucks are not counted in making the distribution. Kosciusko County has about 40,000 vehicles registered of this total about 10,000 are pickup trucks. The present formula favors larger populated areas becausesthey have fewer pickup trucks. GOLDEN FLOCK AWARD — This award goes to the he Republicans who tried to reform the auto license branch system with leaving in place everything except donations. This borders on whitewashing pig and calling it a lamb but not teaching the pig to baa. (In this case an award for Golden Fleece involving just one sheep is not enough of an honor. It would warranty including the whole flock). THE INTERNAL REVENUE Department had a field day with some patrons of the Lake City Bank. In February 1985 the IRS mailed hundreds of notifications to patrons of the bank that they had not reported the correct amount of interest they had received from the bank in 1982. According to bank officials, they changed computer services in mid-1982 and one service reported the entire year and the other six months. The bank issued each customer who received the IRS notice a letter that the amount reported by the customer was correct and the computer notifications were incorrect. POLITICAL STATEMENTS FILED in Jeanne Weirick’s County clerks office during December and January were as follows: John Augsburger, District 3 Senator, received $2,975 from donations (all but one donation of $25 from James Bradbury of Warsaw came from Political Action Committees). He reported expending $3,545.14 for advertising. District 18 State Representative Thames Mauzy ’reported he received $1,264.50 — all from Political Action Committees — and he spent $1,735. Among his expenditures were checks written to the following: Gov. Bob Orr Committee, $100; Bowen Center, $200; Grace College, $200; Elks and Tippecanoe, slooeach. Northern District County Commissioner Maurice Beer reported he spent about $2,600 in his election campaign, all from his own funds. The only local contest in the November General Election featured Republican Charles Brower surveyor against Democrat Larry Manuel. Manuel expended $1,162.58 all his own funds and Brower $259. Others reporting expenditures were: County Corner Gerald Eastland, $109.44; County Clerk Jeanne Weirick, $326.48, and County Judge James Jarett, $100? None of the above compare with expenditures reported in 1984 by Warsaw Mayor Jeff Plank. Plank, who was a candidate for mayor on the Republican primary and general city election in 1983, reported he expended $18,056.59 for his successful campaign. Boon Arnold Representing The Hall & Morose Insurance Agency Os Warsaw In The: • Milford • Syracuse & • North Webster Areas Phone: 267*3266 In Warsaw/Or 6584289 Evenings In Milford Advance Landscape and Lawn Maintenance, Inc. 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