posted by Mike Madison at 11:53 AM /
[For the first post in this series -- on the centrality of children and dogs in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]
[For the second post in this series -- on the Fourth of July celebration in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]
[For the third post in this series -- on the status economy -- click here.]
[For the fourth post in this series -- on high school football -- click here.]
In Hidden Mt. Lebanon, sometimes I celebrate, sometimes I cringe. Today I cringe. There are times when portions of the Mt. Lebanon community come across as being above it all, oblivious to the interests or priorities of people who live or work elsewhere and even, at times, to the interests or priorities of their neighbors. The term "the Lebo Bubble" has gotten so common in my experience that someone could start a Wikipedia entry to collect all of its nuances, but the basic the idea is that kids raised in Mt. Lebanon need to have some sustained exposure to the world beyond our zip codes, so that they know how life is lived outside the Bubble.
The specific prompt for this post is a comment posted this morning (it's Wednesday, 8/15) on another thread. I'll reproduce it here as originally written; it is a terrific example, I think, of the Bubble mentality at work:
"Mt. Lebanon Cheerleaders Above the Rest?
Taken from the Mt. Lebanon Cheerleaders Team Page website:
Link
I've been around the high school over the last few days, so I know how hard kids are working to get ready for various activities. They show up before the crack of dawn, melt in the summer heat, and stay late into the evening. But priorities are priorities, it seems to me (academics first, anyone?), and simple respect for everyone in the high school community should count for a lot. There are a lot of teachers and administrators toiling hard right now *inside* the building, making things ready for all of those kids who are sweating with Sousaphones and shoulder pads. Can't practice end at a time when all of the kids show up together, and all of the teachers, coaches, and administrators get the time they need? The kids will say that Orientation is boring and repetitive, I know, and maybe the cheerleading staff are trying to keep them happy. I don't know the real reasoning. But sometimes, as my own coaches used to tell me, you just have to suck it up. Sit through the presentation because it's the right thing to do. It's what life is like outside the Bubble.
[For the second post in this series -- on the Fourth of July celebration in Mt. Lebanon -- click here.]
[For the third post in this series -- on the status economy -- click here.]
[For the fourth post in this series -- on high school football -- click here.]
In Hidden Mt. Lebanon, sometimes I celebrate, sometimes I cringe. Today I cringe. There are times when portions of the Mt. Lebanon community come across as being above it all, oblivious to the interests or priorities of people who live or work elsewhere and even, at times, to the interests or priorities of their neighbors. The term "the Lebo Bubble" has gotten so common in my experience that someone could start a Wikipedia entry to collect all of its nuances, but the basic the idea is that kids raised in Mt. Lebanon need to have some sustained exposure to the world beyond our zip codes, so that they know how life is lived outside the Bubble.
The specific prompt for this post is a comment posted this morning (it's Wednesday, 8/15) on another thread. I'll reproduce it here as originally written; it is a terrific example, I think, of the Bubble mentality at work:
"Mt. Lebanon Cheerleaders Above the Rest?
Taken from the Mt. Lebanon Cheerleaders Team Page website:
TO FRESHMEN CHEERLEADERS AND PARENTS:Freshman Orientation begins at 6:30 tonight with an introduction of staff and discussion of High School rules and regulations. It is disgraceful that the Mt. Lebanon cheerleading staff has decided that the High School administration is wasting their time by discussing rules and regulations with students from 6:30 - 7:00 pm at the Freshman Orientation. Apparently, that is not "crucial" to cheerleaders. It is also incredibly disrespectful that they will be arriving, in mass, a half hour late and totally disrupting the ongoing program. Its no wonder people think athletes are held to a different standard in Mt. Lebanon."
WE WILL BE DISMISSING THE FRESHMEN CHEERLEADERS AT 6:50 ON WEDNESDAY EVENING TO ATTEND THE 2011 NIGHT AT THE HIGH SCHOOL. THE CRUCIAL PART OF THE PRESENTATION IS THE DISCUSSION BY BOBBY PETROCELLI WHICH BEGINS AT 7 P.M. SO WE WILL BE SURE THAT THEY LEAVE IN A GROUP IN TIME TO ARRIVE AT THE AUDITORIUM BY 7 P.M. THANK YOU!!
-----------
Link
I've been around the high school over the last few days, so I know how hard kids are working to get ready for various activities. They show up before the crack of dawn, melt in the summer heat, and stay late into the evening. But priorities are priorities, it seems to me (academics first, anyone?), and simple respect for everyone in the high school community should count for a lot. There are a lot of teachers and administrators toiling hard right now *inside* the building, making things ready for all of those kids who are sweating with Sousaphones and shoulder pads. Can't practice end at a time when all of the kids show up together, and all of the teachers, coaches, and administrators get the time they need? The kids will say that Orientation is boring and repetitive, I know, and maybe the cheerleading staff are trying to keep them happy. I don't know the real reasoning. But sometimes, as my own coaches used to tell me, you just have to suck it up. Sit through the presentation because it's the right thing to do. It's what life is like outside the Bubble.
Labels: hidden Mt. Lebanon
17 Comments:
I think the phrase "above the rest" captures the real problem here.
The orientation will be held in the main auditorium, which holds 1500 people. A dozen-or-so kids could easily slip quietly into the back without really disrupting anything. The problem is that hardly anyone really wants to be there in the first place, and after a half hour of "discussing rules and regulations" the few who did will be scheming ways of escaping.
The real problem is the notion that the freshman cheerleaders get the privilege of missing the first half-hour. After all, PTA Mom was not complaining about the disservice being done to these poor girls who will now have to attend school ignorant of the rules and regulations of the school. Maybe that's because, as I mentioned in the other thread, they can all read, and the rules and regulations are surely written down somewhere. (the student handbook, maybe?) This ties in in many ways with the Lebo Bubble, as well as Mike's previous Hidden Mt Lebanon post about the status economy. Jocks and cheerleaders have always been a high-status subclass in Lebo. This is true not just in school, but in the adult world as well -- just look at the public resources dedicated athletics.
There is some merit to the argument that if something unpleasant is required, then it should be required of everyone, and no particular group should get special treatment. But one of the main principles of any status economy is the assumption by the participants that those with high status deserve special privileges.
On the other hand, if attendance at orientation is optional, then the real question is whether or not it's okay to attend part of the program an not other parts. In K-12 education, where kids are herded around and forced to attend all sorts of irrelevant events all the time, it is not surprising that people would be upset at the cheerleaders choosing to exercise their own discretion and attend one part of the program and not another. In the adult world, however, this kind of thing happens all the time. In scientific conferences, for example, people frequently come into the hall just for one session or even one speaker, and then leave again. And in parallel-track conferences, attendees flit from one room to another every time the speakers change.
I know what my kid's response will be when I tell her about this blog posting...she will say, "welcome to my world".
Thanks to the PTA mom that brought this to our attention.This preferential treatment is wrong.
The best part of last year's orientation night was Blaise Laratonda! Unfortunately, when it was his turn to speak,the kids were dismissed from the auditorium for a tour of the building.They shold have stayed right in their seats. Maybe some of the kids that ended up sitting in his office this year would have benefited from what he had to say about stayimg out of trouble.
The kids are supposed to go home and read the handbook anyway, so if they miss 30 minutes what's the big deal? Did you ever think that the coaches also have to work around their own personal schedules, and the varying schedules of the students? It's not an easy task. I personally know the coaches and I can tell you that it is very difficult to accommodate every single girl on the team and the school’s events. These students today are so scheduled in so many activities it's impossible to find time for practices that don't interfere. I also know that these coaches get paid next to NOTHING and are treated by some students with complete disrespect and that their manners are very poor. Instead of complaining about the cheerleading staff “putting the athletes above the rest” why don’t we talk about the parents who have raised their kids to think they are “above” everything. If my child were to miss the first 30 minutes I’d just make sure they sat their butts down and READ THE HANDBOOK!
Is it wrong?
Sure it is.
Is it unique to Mt. Lebanon?
Absolutely not.
I cringe along with you. Although it may seem like a small thing, it sends a huge message to the cheerleaders and their peers. Part of being a young adult is participating in activities that are not always fun and entertaining. Very often children do not see the value in such an important exercise. All freshman should have attended the entire orientation and should have had to sit with their parents. It is times like this that make teenagers realize that they have more things in common with their peers than not. I sure hope some of the girl's parents realized this and accompanied them to the high school orientation on time. Other students participate in activites and were required to be in attendance despite football practice, band camp, summer jobs, etc. I have confidence that the moderator will realize this was not the best plan and do things differently in the future. I also have confidence that some parents ignored the cheerleader camp and accompanied their daughters to the high school orientation on time.
News flash: Jocks and Cheerleaders are a "high status subclass" in just about any high school.
The point is very well taken, but I don't see how it supports the "Lebo Bubble" theory.
I don't like the mentality that just because others do it, then it is OK for Mt Lebanon kids to do it. Everyone has a schedule. But kids, parents, educators, coaches, we are all blessed to have to ability to prioritize or use a priori reasoning. We make decisions based on what is most important for us.
When cheerleaders get to miss the first 30 minutes of a freshman orientation that deals not just with what is in a policy handbook, but with issues that they will encounter while in school, then the message we are sending to the students is that cheering is more important than learning.
It is the wrong message. Regardless of if you take the student home and force them to read the actual policy manual (which I doubt will happen), its the perception that is instilled from the very first day these kids get together that those that do cheer are more special than those that don't.
My opinion is that the coach should set his practice time for this event, have the kids show up as if they are going to practice, and instead march them right into that orientation ON TIME and make them sit through the whole thing. What greater life learning lesson is there than to emphasize how much more important it is to attend functions like than it is to cheer or to play a sport?
That is how things should be done. We shouldn't be excusing students from these events simply because they are athletes or cheerpeople. These are the kids that need to be counted on as leaders. Coaches have more opportunities than most to mold our kids into leaders. They should take advantage of events like this so show how important the value of being a part of the school community is to these student athletes.
*CitizenA*
This orientation was not mandatory for any freshman student.
All 4 levels at the high school have an assembly (mandatory) during the first week of school to go over the handbook and the rules, etc...
No this meeting is not a requirement, but to have the cheerleaders make a late entrance is rude and setting a bad example. I'm sure they were all going to attend for the social benefits.
On another note----Have you seen our cheerleaders!!??!!
From the beginning of 7th grade up, our cheerleaders look like a sad immitation compared to most other schools. The stunts are limited at best, the girls stand there talking and giggling during the games and on many, many occaisions have no idea what is going on.
Maybe we need to find sponsors (you know they do get paid by the district's athletic budget) who want to develop the girls into better athletes and more responsible students.
...and the first 20 minutes that the girls missed were the introductions of and welcome from the administrators, not the rules. This information was also told to them at the spring orientation and tour. The unit principal was consulted by the coach and it was pre-approved. They did not miss the rules; in fact, the cheerleaders, along with the other Fall sports teams as well as the band, silks and rockettes, have had multiple meetings with both administrators and the police department to go over policies, procedures and consequences of poor decision-making. I'm all for getting opinions out there, but I respect those which are based on factual information. A simple phone call could have cleared up this individual's misinformation.
To Anon 6:35...How do you know they were attending for the social benefits? Your comments about the girls are mean-spirited and uncalled for...
To anon 9:08
Comments not meant to be mean spirited---so don't take it personally.
This is just my observation as a former college cheerleader and high school cheerleading coach.
This is also the opinion that many others in and out of Lebo that have shared with me---knowing my background.
You have to face the facts, Mt. Lebanon is held to a higher standard in the eyes of many. When the school hires teachers, with good intentions or for the extra $, 1st for the job not because they are the best candidates (no, I did not ever apply or want the cheerleading coach position) the program suffers.
Look at what was the middle school football programs. For years they were not affiliated with the high school because the middle school coach, a teacher, was not interested in working with the high school coaching staff. They wore ragtag, mismatched uniforms and were poorly coached.
Another is the boys golf program. Yet again a teacher who has held the helm for years. There has been talent in the program, but the golf coach does the very minimum with the kids.
Getting back on topic, what is more important, doing the same "go team" cheer for another hour, or presenting yourself in a positive, responsible light?
It doesn't matter if the speakers sat and stared at the crowd for the 1st 20 minutes, this was a school function and as students and visable representatives the girls should have been there on time.
To Anon 10:46 - The coaches cleared the girls missing the first part of the program with administrators. It wasn't mandatory.
As far as the lack of stunting...this is HIGH SCHOOL, not college. Since you are/were a high school coach you must be aware there are WPIAL rules regarding the types of stunting permitted by high school squads.
I think they do a little more than yell "go team" for an hour.
Last year I was disappointed with the orientation night. The guest speaker's talk was not relevant to entering high school. (He talked about the tragic death of his wife due to a car slamming into their bedroom as they slept.) The poorly airconditioned auditorium was crowded and uncomfortable.
Our talented faculty and community leaders such as Tom Ogden and his staff should talk about cyber and traffic safety, Blaise Laratonda talk about drugs and drinking, and students leaders should be speaking on this night, not strangers from out of town. A health care professional should be talking about the health effects of smoking. How about the guidance department talking about bullying?
How much do we pay for Bobby Petrocelli and what is his subject matter this year?
As a student and athlete at Mt.Lebanon high school, I believe what the cheerleaders did was just a way to get more attention by the public eye. There really are some girls that are true athletes when they cheer,because some of our own cheerleanders compete on nationally ranked teams. But, that is no excuse for how some of the few act. It's because of the bad ones that ALL of the cheerleaders get this steriotypical image. But they are all new imcoming students and athletes and on my orientation night, even if you had practice, I know that mostly everyone went. But, the speaker's message really had no revelance to entering high school. I believe that they should have had students currently at the high school talk to them on how to deal with the changing schedules and what classes are good to sign up for.
Anon 8:46
The contract with the school district called for payment of $3,325 to 10 Seconds, Inc. for Mr. Petrocelli's speech. The funds came from a 'Drug Free Schools' Grant.
Reading through his website, his message seems like it should resonate with a lot of kids. He is a teacher and essentially a motivational speaker.
James
Post a Comment
<< Home