Loading ...Principal Jacqueline McEvoy released a letter today to the Paly community in response to an article published last week by The Viking, Paly’s sports magazine, on hazing at Paly. The story can be found at http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=6064
In the letter, McEvoy expresses the administration’s outrage towards the news, and the concerns for the victims of past hazing incidents. In addition, McEvoy assures the community that the administration and Paly’s athletic director, Earl Hansen, will take all necessary measures to improve procedures, ensure students’ safety, and increase awareness of hazing. McEvoy says she and the administration are worried by students’ “misguided perception” that hazing will “increase team unity and loyalty.”
The response came after The Paly Voice published a story containing feedback from many students and teachers on the issue of hazing, which can be found at http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=6079
McEvoy released this letter to the Voice staff earlier today:
Dear Paly Community,
An article on hazing at Paly appeared in the most recent issue of the Viking. First, I want to thank Peter Johnson, the author of the article, for his courage, and the entire Viking staff for supporting him as he pursued this topic. We are concerned for the victims of these incidents and are outraged that these acts were committed by members of our teams and done under the misguided perception that they would increase team unity and loyalty. We have an outstanding athletic program at Paly under the leadership of our Athletic Director, Earl Hansen, and we are committed to doing everything possible to ensure that all of our student athletes are treated with respect and are both emotionally and physically safe. Our school sportsmanship policies and the policies of the league and CCS are the foundations for this commitment.
As a school community, we need to have ongoing conversations with coaches, players, and their parents about what it means to be a member of a team and how we create an overarching environment of mutual respect among our players. The response we take to hazing helps to define who we are as a school. This past week, I have met with our athletic director and the administrative team to make sure that we all understand what our responsibilities are in addressing this issue, to review how we deal with hazing, and to look at ways that we can improve our procedures. For us to eliminate hazing, we will need the support of the entire school’s athletic community – the coaches, the team captains, the student athletes, and their parents. We will work together to ensure that our student athletes understand what hazing is, what they need to do to help us prevent it, and what the consequences are for anyone who participates in it.
Lastly, I applaud the student athletes who came forward to share their stories with Peter. I know that the “code of silence” is a strong one among teenagers and members of any group or team, but I also know that the students at Paly have a very strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. Hazing is wrong. In addition to asking our athletes not to participate in it, we are asking them to stand up for what is right and not to let it happen. I have included a copy of our philosophy for Paly’s athletic program below. Hazing flies in the face of this philosophy and has no place in our athletics program.
Sincerely,
Jacquie McEvoy
PALY ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT PHILOSOPHY
The Athletic Department is an integral part of the total educational process of Palo Alto High School. Being involved in athletics provides the student with opportunities to learn skills, good sportsmanship, develop leadership skills and learn the ideals of fair play and ethical behavior that are necessary for competition and cooperation in our society. It should also provide our students with the unique opportunities for self-discipline, self-sacrifice, and loyalty to the community, the school and the team. Palo Alto High School encourages all students to participate in athletics by offering a well-rounded program of interscholastic athletics for young men and women.