Parents came together for ‘other’ graduation
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the amazing parents who were able to put together the “other” Mission Bay High School graduation.
My daughter, along with 24 other graduating seniors, were blessed to have you on their side. After being told by the Mission Bay High School administration that they did not deserve to walk with their class at graduation after the horrible choice they made on the way to the prom (those of you who go to Mission Bay, you know what they did, others can probably guess).
These students all excelled academically. We had honor students, a magna cum laude student. We had the outstanding male athlete at this graduation. All of the students attending the “other” graduation were proud to be Mission Bay High School students. They gave 100 percent to their school both academically and in Buc spirit.
But this did not matter. The only thing that would matter was the half-an-hour bus ride to the prom. They were truly remorseful, and all stood tall and took all the punishment that was handed down to them during the last three weeks of their high school career.
We as parents never condoned their actions and the choice they all made that night, yet we stood strong on the idea that what these students achieved academically and hours of contributing to the school they deserved the respect and dignity to walk with their peers. I guess we were wrong.
A violation of school policy, even though it was your very first violation in your entire school year, is still a violation (or according to the San Diego Unified School District, it’s up to the school principal to determine punishment on certain violations).
So again, I say thank you to the parents who understood the importance of rewarding academic excellence that our children achieved and worked hard for and giving them the dignity and respect they all deserved and also understanding that their high school years should be defined by their right choices, not only by the wrong ones.
I know this graduation will be one to be remembered all of their lives.
Donna Kirst
Pacific Beach
OTL alcohol permit should be no surprise
It’s easy to doze off during public meetings and miss something important. Apparently, a few people dozed off a lot during meetings regarding the beach alcohol issue. Whenever the alcohol-free beach idea was brought up, someone would ask, “What about Over the Line?” This question came up at town council meetings. It came up at Beach Alcohol Task Force meetings. It came up at San Diego City Council meetings. And the answer was always the same: Permits will be granted to groups willing to take responsibility for special events.
Planning a beach volleyball tournament? A wedding? A company picnic? Want to serve or sell alcohol? You’ll need a permit. In fact, there was a permit process in place before the ban for large group events like OMBAC puts on and it was modified when the ban was enacted to encompass all events with alcohol.
Any group that’s willing to take responsibility for a special event can request a permit. Special event permits are not the problem.
The problem of out-of-control, unaccountable beach behavior has been solved. Now, the problem is a few people didn’t pay attention at meetings and are making groundless complaints.
Bill Bradshaw
Mission Beach
Organizers make sure OTL is a well-run event
Re: “OTL tournament exempted from alcohol ban.”
The article about the Over The Line tournament and the beach alcohol ban was somewhat misleading.
Throughout the discussions of a possible beach alcohol ban, it was made clear that organizers of special events like OTL could get permits from the city for their events.
The purpose of the alcohol-free beach ordinance was to reduce underage drinking, and binge drinking that result in public health and safety problems. Noise, public urination, and fights are issues that arise when large groups of people drink heavily on the beach. And when no one is responsible for the actions of these groups, maintaining peace on the sand becomes a challenge for cops and lifeguards.
The worst-case scenario was the riot in PB last Labor Day, but other problems occur continuously on a smaller scale.
With well-run events like the OTL tournament, the organizers take on the responsibility of keeping the peace and making sure their event is enjoyable for everyone. Bad behavior simply isn’t tolerated. The kinds of problems that inspired the alcohol-free beach ordinance are greatly reduced if not eliminated entirely. That’s why there is a process for acquiring special event permits.
D. Faulds
Sail Bay