Needham Girls HS Hazing

[Unregistered]

y...I remember as a soph. we had run around nude in a circle singing: "pants down race is 5 miles long doo dah doo dah..." good times...circa 1988

When I was in high school...80s ...we used to go away to camp for a week for football. Hazing was just paert of it...a few of the memorable instances: they tied a kid hands and feet between 2 stakes....put dog food on him and let the coaches dogs lick it off him (was nude of course) 2.) superglued the head coaches cleats to his window 3.) a kid was placed in atrash can overn ight...in the end ..all good.

[Unregistered]

These kids are going to have some really interesting clippings in their high school scrapbooks, aren't they? I'd love to be there when they are showing junior the highlights of their high school years. "And this is when Mommy got suspended from school, had to go to court for assault and battery and the team ended their District championship run."

Are there any college scholarships lost in this series of events?

[Unregistered]

Because the parents would not accept a punishment for their child.

The national attention has little to do with the parents. Reporting of 'bullying' and/or 'hazing' is a hot topic especially since the suicide in South Hadley and the new national and state laws that have been created. More so, this is something that happened in a perceived 'affluent' town, which makes it even more press-worthy. This site alone pulled in more than 450 posts since its inception, the majority of which had to do with the actual hazing and relatively few concerning the parents who brought the case to court to have the suspensions lifted.

In the end, the seniors were suspended and humiliated (maybe they deserrve it), the Freshmen (who we really don't know how they felt about it) are possibly humiliated, the parents....well who is really concerned with the parents at all......and the Needham school who panicked with decisions prior to any kind of investigation. Regardless of whether, in retrospect, were right or wrong, the Needham school administration bent over backwards to the press and a hyped up panic created by the press. As for the coach, we really have no idea what he did or didn't know. If he knew everything they he should be punished since he should have also know about the new rules that we are supposed to abide by.

There is one winner......the press. They have had a hay-day with this one. Unfortunately, in the end, I am not so convinced that the press.....most of the posters on this site, or perhaps the needham school administration, ever put the girls first and considered any of the impact that any of this might have on them..........

[Unregistered]

The national attention has little to do with the parents. Reporting of 'bullying' and/or 'hazing' is a hot topic especially since the suicide in South Hadley and the new national and state laws that have been created. More so, this is something that happened in a perceived 'affluent' town, which makes it even more press-worthy. This site alone pulled in more than 450 posts since its inception, the majority of which had to do with the actual hazing and relatively few concerning the parents who brought the case to court to have the suspensions lifted.

In the end, the seniors were suspended and humiliated (maybe they deserrve it), the Freshmen (who we really don't know how they felt about it) are possibly humiliated, the parents....well who is really concerned with the parents at all......and the Needham school who panicked with decisions prior to any kind of investigation. Regardless of whether, in retrospect, were right or wrong, the Needham school administration bent over backwards to the press and a hyped up panic created by the press. As for the coach, we really have no idea what he did or didn't know. If he knew everything they he should be punished since he should have also know about the new rules that we are supposed to abide by.

There is one winner......the press. They have had a hay-day with this one. Unfortunately, in the end, I am not so convinced that the press.....most of the posters on this site, or perhaps the needham school administration, ever put the girls first and considered any of the impact that any of this might have on them..........

Another great post- my faith in humanity is restored- I'm so happy that there are at least 2 people posting on this forum who get it- this poster and Cujo.

[Unregistered]

the press is not the problem here

Should a HS team employ props like pies and dog leashes to be used selectivly on a few players, call it team building, call it freshmen initiation or whatever?

Should we assume that no physical harm was done so it's okay?

Think the coach knew what was going on and decided to hold back?

[Unregistered]

There is one winner......the press. They have had a hay-day with this one. Unfortunately, in the end, I am not so convinced that the press.....most of the posters on this site, or perhaps the needham school administration, ever put the girls first and considered any of the impact that any of this might have on them..........

You forgot to include the parents, who escalated this problem into a disaster by involving the court system.

[Unregistered]

Have the girls been found guilty yet??
If not, then they are presumed innocent.
This right seems to be afforded to those way high up on the social ladder, illegal immigrants, or minorities with some chip on their shoulders.
If that is the case then they should have been allowed to play.
However..........
If they are guilty then they should be appropriately punished as well as the coach. Even if the coach knew nothing of it (which I doubt since the coaches daughter is either a Junior or Senior on the team), the conduct of his/her players, with regard to the team, is still his/her responsibility

You're confusing two things with your posting - the finding of guilt by a court of law, and the finding of guilt by an organization (the school) after its own investigation / interview process and then it's metering out of punishment as is accorded by its school rules.

There is never a need to wait for "guilty in a court of law" before assigning punishment for people's actions. If that were the case, then no one would ever get punished for anything excepting if they went to court. The girls' punishment is due to te school finding that "yes" they did do something wrong and should be punished. This finding is not meant to be a legal one, but to confuse the often quoted "innocent until proven guilty" statement in this incident is totally inappropriate unless the girls are going to be charged with a crime - in which cae, the school will not be bringing those charges anyway. The school is just saying they engaged in conduct in violation of a school policy.

[Unregistered]

the press is not the problem here

Should a HS team employ props like pies and dog leashes to be used selectivly on a few players, call it team building, call it freshmen initiation or whatever?

Should we assume that no physical harm was done so it's okay?

Think the coach knew what was going on and decided to hold back?

1. The press is always at least part of the problem eventually. If not from the beginning, they will eventually exploit the situation for their own benefit. This is a fact in all scenarios. They wouldn't cover something if they didn't think it would help their ratings.
2. I would guess that the 'props' and 'pies' did not come from the school.
3. As for what the Freshman thought......why not ask them??

4. The lack of physical harm does not make something right, however, the lack of physical harm is a good thing. If you do something wrong at work (by accident or for fun), but the final result is unchanged and good, do you report it to your superiors for a full investigation or do you allow it to go unnoticed and let it blow over?? Afterall, the wrong that you did, did not affect the outcome of the project!!

5. I can't speak for the coach nor what he did or did not know about. I am hoping that someone, somewhere, asked him so that he can have his say. If he knew that he was breaking the rules/law then he should be disciplined.....perhaps relieved of the coaching job.

[Unregistered]

You're confusing two things with your posting - the finding of guilt by a court of law, and the finding of guilt by an organization (the school) after its own investigation / interview process and then it's metering out of punishment as is accorded by its school rules.

There is never a need to wait for "guilty in a court of law" before assigning punishment for people's actions. If that were the case, then no one would ever get punished for anything excepting if they went to court. The girls' punishment is due to te school finding that "yes" they did do something wrong and should be punished. This finding is not meant to be a legal one, but to confuse the often quoted "innocent until proven guilty" statement in this incident is totally inappropriate unless the girls are going to be charged with a crime - in which cae, the school will not be bringing those charges anyway. The school is just saying they engaged in conduct in violation of a school policy.

Thank you. Sanity is a beautiful thing.

[Unregistered]

Needham
Ten girls suspended in Needham hazing incident
E-mail | Print | Comments (36) Posted by Your Town November 11, 2010 07:08 PM
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By David Abel, Globe Staff

Two parents of Needham High School students said about 10 girls on Needham's soccer team were suspended from school and 12 or 13 were prevented from playing in a district tournament game against Brockton after a hazing incident late last month.

The parents, providing new details of an incident that has sparked controversy in the town and around the region, spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the identity of their children. School officials have declined to comment on the specifics of the punishment.

The suspension of the girls before Tuesday’s state tournament game outraged parents so much that some asked a judge to allow their children to play and to also block their suspensions. The judge refused, and the varsity team lost 7-1. They played without their coach and mainly with girls from the junior varsity team.

The new details surfaced as parents of the players continued to defend the students, saying the incident was harmless and the punishment too severe.

On the night of the alleged hazing incident, parents said today, several upperclassmen drove to the younger students’ homes and told them to put on blindfolds when the girls got into their cars.

Three parents said the seniors drove the girls around for a short time, until they arrived at a field off school grounds where the team practices. They said the girls were told to remove their blindfolds on the field and were taunted. At least one was told to wear a dog collar and two were hit in the face with whipped cream pies. Others were made to sing songs or sing the praises of the seniors.

But each of the parents interviewed insisted that the episode was all in fun, a team-building exercise that might have gone too far but didn’t leave any of their girls harmed. The worst that happened, two parents said, was that one of their expensive boots was stained by the whipped cream, which the older girls ultimately replaced.

“The kids were misguided, and they shouldn’t have done what they did,” said Nick Bollas, the father of one freshman on the team. “But the penalty didn’t fit what happened. These kids do not deserve to be penalized for this. These girls are all best friends, and my daughter came home and she was in a good mood.”

The hazing allegedly occurred on Oct. 29, after the team had won a share of the Bay State Conference, Carey Division title, according to documents filed Monday in Norfolk Superior Court.

It wasn’t until a week later that parents of the players received an e-mail from Needham High’s Principal Jonathan D. Pizzi, banning them from meeting over the weekend to practice, according to court papers. The e-mail, sent last Friday, said administrators were investigating “an alleged incident of serious misbehavior.’’

Today, Needham School Superintendent Dan Gutekanst continued to defend the administration’s response and would not comment on the potential consequences of the suspensions. He acknowledged some college applications require students to say whether they have been disciplined, but he said there is usually a space to explain what happened.

“I would hope that all Needham High School students have a great chance of getting into college, and I certainly hope that’s the case for all of our seniors,” Gutekanst said.

He expects some of the students will appeal their suspensions and hopes to resolve those appeals within the next week. He said none of the girls, as far as he knew, have begun serving their suspensions.

“I think it’s important that we move on, and that we help all the girls get back on track and focus on the schoolwork that’s ahead,” he said. “Students make mistakes, and we try to help them overcome their mistakes, and they end up doing some pretty wonderful things. I certainly hope that’s the case for these students.”

The parents interviewed said 10 of the girls were suspended for between two to five days. Many of the girls, they said, will continue attending school until there's a verdict about whether the punishment was appropriate.

Globe staff writers Matt Carroll and Erica Noonan and Globe correspondent Katrina Ballard contributed to this report.

[Unregistered]

Needham
Ten girls suspended in Needham hazing incident
E-mail | Print | Comments (36) Posted by Your Town November 11, 2010 07:08 PM
E-mail this article


By David Abel, Globe Staff

Two parents of Needham High School students said about 10 girls on Needham's soccer team were suspended from school and 12 or 13 were prevented from playing in a district tournament game against Brockton after a hazing incident late last month.

The parents, providing new details of an incident that has sparked controversy in the town and around the region, spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the identity of their children. School officials have declined to comment on the specifics of the punishment.

The suspension of the girls before Tuesday’s state tournament game outraged parents so much that some asked a judge to allow their children to play and to also block their suspensions. The judge refused, and the varsity team lost 7-1. They played without their coach and mainly with girls from the junior varsity team.

The new details surfaced as parents of the players continued to defend the students, saying the incident was harmless and the punishment too severe.

On the night of the alleged hazing incident, parents said today, several upperclassmen drove to the younger students’ homes and told them to put on blindfolds when the girls got into their cars.

Three parents said the seniors drove the girls around for a short time, until they arrived at a field off school grounds where the team practices. They said the girls were told to remove their blindfolds on the field and were taunted. At least one was told to wear a dog collar and two were hit in the face with whipped cream pies. Others were made to sing songs or sing the praises of the seniors.

But each of the parents interviewed insisted that the episode was all in fun, a team-building exercise that might have gone too far but didn’t leave any of their girls harmed. The worst that happened, two parents said, was that one of their expensive boots was stained by the whipped cream, which the older girls ultimately replaced.

“The kids were misguided, and they shouldn’t have done what they did,” said Nick Bollas, the father of one freshman on the team. “But the penalty didn’t fit what happened. These kids do not deserve to be penalized for this. These girls are all best friends, and my daughter came home and she was in a good mood.”

The hazing allegedly occurred on Oct. 29, after the team had won a share of the Bay State Conference, Carey Division title, according to documents filed Monday in Norfolk Superior Court.

It wasn’t until a week later that parents of the players received an e-mail from Needham High’s Principal Jonathan D. Pizzi, banning them from meeting over the weekend to practice, according to court papers. The e-mail, sent last Friday, said administrators were investigating “an alleged incident of serious misbehavior.’’

Today, Needham School Superintendent Dan Gutekanst continued to defend the administration’s response and would not comment on the potential consequences of the suspensions. He acknowledged some college applications require students to say whether they have been disciplined, but he said there is usually a space to explain what happened.

“I would hope that all Needham High School students have a great chance of getting into college, and I certainly hope that’s the case for all of our seniors,” Gutekanst said.

He expects some of the students will appeal their suspensions and hopes to resolve those appeals within the next week. He said none of the girls, as far as he knew, have begun serving their suspensions.

“I think it’s important that we move on, and that we help all the girls get back on track and focus on the schoolwork that’s ahead,” he said. “Students make mistakes, and we try to help them overcome their mistakes, and they end up doing some pretty wonderful things. I certainly hope that’s the case for these students.”

The parents interviewed said 10 of the girls were suspended for between two to five days. Many of the girls, they said, will continue attending school until there's a verdict about whether the punishment was appropriate.

Globe staff writers Matt Carroll and Erica Noonan and Globe correspondent Katrina Ballard contributed to this report.

Should have noted this is the Globe so it bears some authority. If what is printed is true, it is enough for me to support the school's decision and actions.

[Unregistered]

Needham
Ten girls suspended in Needham hazing incident
E-mail | Print | Comments (36) Posted by Your Town November 11, 2010 07:08 PM
E-mail this article


By David Abel, Globe Staff

Two parents of Needham High School students said about 10 girls on Needham's soccer team were suspended from school and 12 or 13 were prevented from playing in a district tournament game against Brockton after a hazing incident late last month.

The parents, providing new details of an incident that has sparked controversy in the town and around the region, spoke on condition of anonymity to protect the identity of their children. School officials have declined to comment on the specifics of the punishment.

It appears that the parents, not the press, continue to drag this issue along.

Reporter: 5 girls were suspended from Needham for Hazing
News editor: who cares? it happens all the time
Reporter: they were on the soccer team and it was right before a play-off game
News editor: too bad for those girls
Reporter: and the parents of the suspended girls have scheduled a hearing for an injunction to void the suspensions and allow the girls to play soccer
News editor: what are you doing standing here, get going, and take a camera crew!

[Unregistered]

You say that, but there is nothing that indicates that it was the girls parents that went to court. Only a parent of one of the "hazed" freshman. The court documents are there to view. Unless you have some other information, don't speculate on what you do not know is fact. And if you have some inside information post under your real name so we can determine it's accuracy or if YOU might have an aggenda. Right now you come across as someone just arguing for the sake of an argument.

Yea, but the "parent" who went to court happens to be a personal friend and business partner with the coach (something you neglected to mention). This is more than just a "parent" / coach relationship. Remember, the coach also has a daughter who plays on the team and was also suspended.

http://soccerdynamics.com/directors.asp

[Unregistered]

BTW "team-building" is achieving something together as a team. The Globe report makes it sound like a rite of initiation or... hazing.

[Unregistered]

Forget the loss. The suspended seniors now have to answer this question on the common app for college:
"Have you ever been found responsible for a disciplinary violation at any educational institution you have attended from the 9th grade (or the international equivalent) forward, whether related to academic misconduct or behavioral misconduct, that resulted in your probation, suspension, removal, dismissal, or expulsion from the institution? "