No Dancing Around It: Proms are Getting Strict SAN DIEGO -- Another day turns into night at SeaWorld, and thick streams of visitors retreat to the parking lot, leaving Shamu and his kin to turn watery laps in the dark. But tonight one entrance remains open for business: A local public high school, San Dieguito Academy in nearby Encinitas, has rented out part of the park for its prom. Limousines pull up to the curb, and their tuxedo- and gown-clad charges dutifully line up before a pair of administrators. While the girls have their purses searched, the boys assume the position -- arms out, legs spread apart -- for assistant principal Terry Calen, who pats them down thoroughly. If an exchange of pleasantries hints at alcohol, Calen presses a flashlight that doubles as a Breathalyzer into service. ''My biggest concern tonight is whether the DJ is any good,'' says Rod Keillor, the school's Associated Student Body director, who helped students organize the event. ''We check for alcohol, and the park has its own security. Having the prom here really takes a lot of the headaches out of this night.'' That's proving quite a feat of late. Near-tragedies, such as two incidents last year in New York's well-heeled Westchester County, have led schools around the USA to crack down on prom-night drinking and carousing with restrictions that echo a theme: Read kids the riot act, then let them loose in a secure setting. Many schools ask students to sign contracts that promise suspension if they're caught drinking; hire buses to shuttle students to and from the dance, eliminating the limo as a place to stash beer; and even require that -- horror of horrors -- parents accompany each couple to a pre-dance reception. Kids roll their eyes at such tactics, but administrators know the alternatives can be devastating. Last May, the junior prom at Rye High School in New York was marred by dozens of teens who were so drunk they required hospitalization. And in September, nearly 100 of the 500-plus students attending a homecoming dance at another school in Westchester County Scarsdale High, arrived drunk. Both schools threatened to cancel proms this spring unless students agreed to radical rule changes that they themselves drew up. There certainly are no surefire ways to safeguard a prom. And what some view as a solution others see as a problem: Though some schools have discouraged or banned limo use, others encourage the practice because it keeps drunken drivers off the road. But activists agree that teen alcohol use needs a higher profile. They note that federal anti-drug campaigns often target hard drugs, not alcohol, and cite reports such as a 2002 study by Georgetown University's Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth. It noted that 25% of 2001's 50,000-plus TV commercials for alcohol aired during programming were more likely to be seen by underage viewers. ''We really have to focus on alcohol at the state level, because that does more overall damage in areas ranging from crime to death than any hard drug like heroin,'' says Ken Stark, director of Washington state's Department of Social and Health Services, which pours$5 million annually into anti-drinking programs aimed at grades six through 12. There is evidence that such programs can pay off, if gradually. In the fall of 2000, 46% of Washington high school seniors reported using alcohol in the last 30 days; in 2002, 42% had. In 2000, 31% of seniors admitted to binge drinking, defined as having five or more consecutive beers; in 2002, 27% did. ''Most schools are more aware than ever of the need to take whatever steps they can to keep kids safe,'' Stark says. ''But prom season still makes me nervous.'' The annual tradition so troubled a group of parents in Tacoma, Wash., that they formed the Parent Party Patrol. Among its functions is to instruct other parents on signs of alcohol use, as well as suggest ways to throw fun pre-prom parties that offer an alternative to pressure-filled peer blowouts. And when necessary, the patrol is just that. Working with schools and the police, parents find out where alcohol-fueled parties are going to be and shut them down. In Omaha, the approach is a bit more subtle, but the mission is the same. Each time this year, Project Prom alerts the media, hotels and limo companies to the times and locations of the city's 50 proms. 'Gallons of beer in backpacks' ''This way we're all in on our kids' safety, from limo companies who might not know that a school has told its kids not to use that form of transportation, to hotels that could unknowingly rent out rooms to teens,'' says Susie Dugan, executive director of PRIDE (Parent Resources and Information on Drug Education), which started Project Prom. ''It's an especially risky time of year for our teens, and while we want them to have a good time, we also want them to survive it.'' Last May, Rye's junior prom quickly spiraled out of control when a handful of intoxicated students nearly asphyxiated on their own vomit just as paramedics arrived. In the fall, principal Jim Rooney met with the students, now seniors, and announced that their prom was canceled ''unless they could come up with a plan for a safe event and stick to it.'' Within a month, the students had come up with a deal. The senior prom will go on Thursday night, but each couple must arrive with at least one parent in tow. After a brief reception, the students will board shuttle buses to a nearby country club. Backpacks and limos are a no-no this year. Last spring, after the evacuation of drunk students, Rooney searched limousines and found ''gallons and gallons and gallons of beer in backpacks.'' He concedes there is no way to control what happens after the prom; many kids certainly will venture into that beckoning playground of New York City. ''We can only ensure that our school event is safe,'' he says. ''But I do sense that last year was a wake-up call to students and parents alike. There's been dialogue and some changes. For example, kids here often go to the Caribbean for spring break. Parents long deplored it but let it happen. This year, very few kids went.'' Dialogue also paved the way for redemption over at Scarsdale High, where the scale of the homecoming dance disaster ''horrified everyone in the community,'' principal John Klemme says. He decided against canceling the prom but instead challenged the senior class to embrace new guidelines. Buses to and from theJune 12 country club-based prom are mandatory this year. Klemme jokes that some students fought back ''as if they had a constitutional right to ride in a limo.'' He also warned students that bad behavior would have its risks. Those include being barred from extracurricular activities, a big threat in a school with 100% college placement where such activities can be the key to an Ivy League education. But he isn't convinced threats are necessary. ''Adolescents request parameters on their behavior. What happened to us in the fall caused adults to stand firm and say, 'There is a line you cannot cross.' '' Safeguards are in place Though there is no national clearinghouse for information on proms, a look at the plans of the eight largest high schools in San Diego County (representing 25,000 students) shows that administrators are well aware of their responsibilities in staging a safe event. Of the eight schools -- Vista, Eastlake, Torrey Pines, Rancho Buena Vista, Poway, San Marcos, El Camino and Fallbrook -- all will feature at least a half-dozen professional security officers on site. All search their students upon entry, have Breathalyzers on hand and bar readmission after exiting. Six of the eight schools feel confident that hotels remain not only a safe setting for a prom, but also an appropriate one for an evening that is supposed to offer a glimpse of an adulthood to come. ''It's a glamorous night for the kids. We just make sure no students have booked rooms for the night,'' says Cathy Hughes, student director at El Camino High, which has reserved the Hyatt overlooking Mission Bay. But two schools have chosen other options. San Marcos continues its tradition of booking Camp Pendleton, a Marine base. ''There are military police all around. What else can you say?'' says prom coordinator Bill Singh. And after an ill-fated hotel-based prom two years ago, Rancho Buena Vista High School opted for Camp Pendleton last year and SeaWorld this year. ''We hear it offers lots of room to move around but is also secure,'' student body director Kelly McKinney says. That's precisely the pitch, says SeaWorld sales director Marilyn Hannes, who says the park's heightened sense of security after 9/11 -- she can't discuss the details -- strikes the right chord with prom organizers. Secure and 'cool' at same time Business is growing. Five years ago, the park hosted a pair of proms; this year, 10 are booked. ''Parents feel good, and so do those kids who might not really like to dance,'' Hannes says. ''There are other things to do.'' Safety aside, San Dieguito's SeaWorld prom bears witness to the inherent appeal of a sprawling venue. Where a dance setting quickly distills into cool folks (on the dance floor) and awkward folks (those shuffling on the fringes), here students roam over dozens of acres that include a sky-tower ride, dance pavilion and -- a highlight -- the dolphin petting pool. What safeguards are in place remain low-key. The park's yellow-jacketed security guards are imposing but unobtrusive; recent grads who serve as chaperones easily blend into the young crowd, adding another layer of security. Feeding dolphins a bucket of fish is Megan Baumgarten, 16, the sophomore date of San Dieguito senior Scott Sapp, 17. ''I go to a very strict all-girls Catholic school,'' Baumgarten says. ''So when I was asked to the prom, my dad immediately asked 'Where?' When he heard it was here, he said, 'Have a good time,' and that was it. He thinks it's safe, and I think it's cool.'' A picture-perfect prom? Perhaps. But one veteran warns with a wary chuckle that teens can be as slippery as those dolphins. ''We think we've got an airtight plan for this year's prom, but we'll soon see,'' Rye High School principal Rooney says. ''I've found that when it comes to having what they consider to be fun, kids are extremely ingenious.'' Source: USA Today

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