Keeping it sober on prom night
High schools vary methods to prevent drinking at big dance
It was the late-night house parties, not so much the prom, that a 17-year-old Oswego East senior was looking forward to when she arrived at the school's formal dance on April 19.
And there were a lot of parties to choose from, according to the teen who asked that she not be identified.
"I didn't know one person who wasn't having one," she admitted.
This teen went to two post-prom parties at classmates' homes -- and alcohol was served at both, she said.
Parents were visible at one of the gatherings, making sure that everyone would be sleeping there.
The 17-year-old eventually went home sometime Sunday morning. She couldn't remember exactly when.
For some students, she said, the drinking actually started early in the evening.
These measures ranged from busing students to prom venues to holding an assembly that included a speaker who killed someone while driving drunk.
And although it's unlikely that these efforts completely eradicated drinking on prom night, some schools have clearly done more than others.
"Look at Oswego (last February's accident that killed five teens leaving a party); it's now a topic that comes closer to home to this generation than ever before," said Clayton Muhammad, spokesman for East Aurora High School.
"We say, 'This happened to your peers.'"
The campaigns urging teens not to drink over prom weekend for many schools began weeks before the event.
Batavia High School students received alcohol awareness information when they purchased tickets for their prom, which will be held next weekend.
"It's a visual reminder," said Batavia Principal Doug Drexler, "of the consequences of drinking and driving and making bad choices."
And for the first time, Batavia High driver's education students last week navigated a golf cart through a course of cones, wearing goggles that simulate a blood-alcohol content level of .12 percent. That is slightly more than the state's legal limit of .08 percent.
Kaneland High School students participated in a similar event out in the parking lot during their lunch periods, said Principal Tony Valente.
Of those schools that did not use the mock accident as a prevention tool:
• Geneva High School hosted a panel for juniors and seniors -- which included an emergency room doctor and the Kane County coroner -- that discussed the importance of making good decisions on prom weekend.
• East Aurora High School addressed underage drinking and its effects on driving and decision-making during an assembly.
• St. Charles East seniors attended an assembly about being leaders and making good decisions.
• Sandwich High School placed a battered car outside the building as a reminder "that drinking and driving can kill," said Principal Mitch Nystedt.
• Oswego High School sent students two pages of information, entitled "Straight Talk About Underage Drinking," that addressed drinking myths and answered the question: "How do I tell if my friend has a drinking problem?"
St. Charles and Oswego police recently conducted their own stings at local liquor stores, where teenagers volunteering with the departments asked customers to buy them alcohol.
No arrests were made in either sting, police said.
Despite preventive efforts, East Aurora's Muhammad said, "We're not foolish. We know what happens" on prom night.
So administrations have implemented various measures to try to spot those students who may be drunk at the prom and prevent others from drinking when they leave at the end of the night.
This year, Muhammad said, East Aurora "pumped up" its prom invitation list to administrators and faculty, to ensure that adults who care about the students were mingling with them all night.
Studies show, Muhammad stressed, "that kids are going to make better decisions based on their relationships with adults."
"We inspect them as they walk in to make sure everyone walks straight and is talking correctly, to make sure everyone is going to have fun with out the assistance of alcohol," said Plano Principal Bill Johnson.
Unlike most schools, Hinckley-Big Rock's prom will be held on a Friday -- May 9.
The students have a half-day of school, which Principal Chuck Lawson predicts will leave them little time to drink when they're rushing to get ready for the big night.
Sandwich administrators shake each student's hand as they enter prom to help spot teens who may have been drinking, said Principal Nystedt.
And Yorkville teens have to check their car keys when they enter prom, like a valet, said Principal Tim Shimp.
This way, he reasoned, "Once they leave, they have to leave for good."
However, Neahring urged parents to take responsibility this prom season and know who their teens are with and what they're doing.
"If the dance is over at 11 p.m., they should be home before midnight," she said.
Oswego and Oswego East high schools are among a handful of local schools that did not offer post-prom events this year, according to Neahring.
She said the school district did not want to break curfew, which is midnight on Fridays and Saturdays for those under the age of 18.
It's a decision the Oswego police department supported, according to Detective Rob Sherwood, who called expanding curfew for prom night "not an appropriate option."
But some school administrators in nearby communities view these school-sponsored post-prom events -- which typically last until 3 or 4 a.m. -- as a way to lessen the number of teens drinking at house parties.
In fact, Paul McCurtain, spokesman with the St. Charles Police Department, called these events "an excellent idea."
"Everyone's together," he said. "Parents know where their kids are, and alcohol isn't present."
These parties can get pretty elaborate, and most of the schools that have them insist attendance grows every year.
A used-car was raffled off at Geneva and St. Charles East post-prom parties over the weekend. And Sandwich students danced, snacked on hors d'oeuvres and watched a hypnotist after their prom Saturday.
The Oswego East senior doubted her classmates would attend a school-sponsored post-prom party.
They tried bowling last year, she said, and nobody went.
Would flashy prizes and all-you-can-eat food make a difference? The teen doubts it.
She insists that she isn't surprised by all the drinking a year after five teens from nearby Oswego High School died in a crash, for which a then 23-year-old driver has been charged with drunken driving.
"It gets to you," she said. "But you don't realize."