Prom Changes at Niles West Leave Seniors Torn

Due to the actions of a group of Niles West seniors, everyone attending Niles West High School's prom will face stricter conditions.

The move comes after a disruptive pep rally held at the school on April 19, where tires were thrown through the rally floor and silly string and noise reached such a point of disrespect that principal Kaine Osburn ended the day's activities early.

Now, all juniors and seniors are being punished, even those that did not attend.

"My daughter was in Springfield at [the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America] competition," said Niles West parent Wendy Yablon. "She is sadly suffering for the acts of others. She's not even sure she wants to go anymore because of it all."

When Patch told Yablon that other students shared similar sentiments of considering not going, she wasn't surprised.

"I don't really blame them," she said. "Half the fun is going with your group in a limo or bus and doing what you choose to do after - whether that's the after party or not.

"Nobody wants to be herded on a bus like cattle and be told what they have to do on a night that's supposed to be a special experience."

Parent Traci Larson-Lee said her son shared similar concerns.

"[My son] was going to prom, but now he is thinking he doesn't want to," Lee said. "A group of seniors plotted all these crazy actions and acted foolish. Kids were throwing silly string - a kid threw a tire down the gymnasium - they had to stop the pep rally and send everyone home. Now, there are consequences."

What are those consequences?

• Parents with children going to prom must attend a 20-minute meeting at Niles West. The meeting is supposed to cover several issues, mainly student safety.
• All prom goers are now required to take a "luxury coach" bus from the school to prom and back to school.

"Our greatest concern is about students' decision-making related to issues of health and safety," Osburn wrote on his blog. "Many of our upperclassmen are seeing specific events, such as assemblies, prom and graduation, as opportunities to engage in risky behavior this year. 

"The behavior at the assembly only reinforced this concern and that they are not hearing our message to behave in a healthy and respectful manner," he added.  "Additionally, rumors have begun that students are making plans for unsafe or disruptive behavior at prom and graduation."

Lee's son Connor, a 17-year-old senior at Niles West, said he's still planning on going.

"It's prom," he said. "I would like to say it's bogus that we have to take the bus there and back. I had planned on going on a limo bus but can't anymore. It won't be as fun, there's going to be supervisors on the bus and I think what's going to happen is people are going to be quiet."

Max Collins, an 18-year-old senior at Niles West, echoes Lee's concerns. He said there's a Niles West Class of 2013 Facebook page and many students are contemplating on whether or not they should attend this year's prom.

"Some people are fighting, some people are trying to do their own thing," Collins said. "A lot of people are saying they don't want to go anymore because of how the teachers overreacted. I personally think it's kind of annoying.

"To me, [the pep rally] was fun. We were planning on being quiet for the first five minutes and then start cheering. I guess after eight minutes it got out of hand and shut down."

Collins added he's also bummed out about not being able to rent a limo with friends and leave prom at his choosing.

"That's definitely something people were looking forward to," he said. "But I think everyone is sort of calming down now. All this negativity is getting crazy. Everyone is getting mad. But people are starting to realize and say, 'You know what? There's a month left of school. Let's all sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of our senior year.'"

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Skokie Patch on Facebook  

Editor's note: Parents with students attending prom can find more information on what dates and times the safety meetings will be held here. 

Also, check out the coverage by the Niles West school newspaper here.