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Prom gifts raise eyebrows, cause concern among parents and students |
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Friday, 06 June 2008 |
By Stacey Powells
Mammoth Times Staff Writer
 Was it an inappropriate gift to be giving to teenagers or was it an innocent token that will be sitting on the memory shelves of the Mammoth High School students for years to come?
For a community that struggles with teenage drinking, some think that giving away a beer mug and champagne flute as party favors at the recent senior prom was extremely inappropriate. Or was it?
“In my opinion they were given a root beer mug and parfait holder,” said Mammoth high school parent Debby Christiana. “If the kids are going to drink they will drink out of a paper cup. I don't think the glassware is the issue.”
“They spend all this time telling us not to drink and then at the prom give us a beer mug and champagne flute as party gifts,” said one student. “That doesn't make any sense.”
It wasn't a fluke that the school administrators decided to approve and give away glassware that looked more like containers for beer or champagne as remembrances for that special night. After all, high schools all across the nation are inundated with hefty catalogs from companies such as Prom Wishes and Promnite.com which, along with decorations, picture frames and keychains, also want the schools to buy the kind of stemware for their underage students you customarily would see in a bar.
Presumably, these gifts are chosen because it's easier to etch the date of the prom and the name of the high school on glass than on a keychain or picture frame.
“This was only my second prom and I received about a catalog a week from all sorts of companies. It basically boiled down to glass or picture frame,” said Mammoth High School advisor J.R. Bosco. “The senior leadership decided on the glasses, but when I saw the selection I was also concerned.”
These catalogs go out to every high school in America because that's what's standard. “The meanings we have for things aren't necessarily the meanings other people have for things,” Bosco said. “I don't think these companies are out there promoting alcohol, but they are trying to give a hint of adultness and glamour to these students and have gifts that represent what most see as a token of an evening.”
“Drinking in this town is a way bigger problem than glasses being handed out at prom,” said one high school parent. “Maybe this will be a good thing and people will start talking about the bigger issue. A glass doesn't make them drink. Instead of getting mad, use this as a time to talk to your kids about drinking.”
“I feel it was terribly inappropriate for the school to endorse a gift that represents glassware used for alcohol,” said parent Sue Morning.
“They don't want them to drink but they give them glassware that is normally used for alcohol. It doesn't make any sense,” said parent Lina Myers. “Maybe they should be more selective in their choice of gifts.”
“We called it a hot chocolate mug, not a beer mug, but it does look like a beer mug and the other glass looks like bar ware so I shared the parents' concern,” said MHS Principal Mike Agnitch. “Next year we will select another gift.”
Kristin Anderson, who works in the marketing department at Promnite.com, delined to comment on the offer of barware in the catalog.
Jackie Downey from Prom Wishes said that even though the glassware is their number-one selling favor across the country, they do not condone underage drinking. “The purpose of those glasses is not for drinking,” Downey said. “They are meant to be a party favor for the kids to put jewelry in or flowers. The schools can decide to candle the glassware too.”
Downey said that from a national perspective, schools should absolutely be concerned about their kids drinking. “It's up to the parents to teach them about the hazards of drinking and help them make the right choice, but from our standpoint we believe the students deserve a memento.”
Scott Snyder is the Business Unit Leader for AndersonsProm.com, which is the sister company of Promnite.com. He said they have received very little feedback from parents regarding the offering of glassware as gifts. “The amount of glassware we sell is much less than the picture frames, invitations and keychains,” he said. “Our sales of glassware have been on the decline for a number of years because of the drinking issue. Some schools have no problem with the gift of glassware while other schools will clearly not offer that as a gift to their kids.”
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Last Updated ( Friday, 13 June 2008 )
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