Skipping parties entice some Blazers

The bitter smell of cigarette smoke wafts through the house, jam-packed with nearly 40 unsupervised teens. Empty Heineken bottles are scattered over tables, windowsills and couches. Kids lay passed out on chairs and sofas, oblivious to the deafening reggae blasting from a CD player as other intoxicated Blazers dance to the music. A pool of vomit rests undisturbed on the coffee-colored carpet. Away from the frenzy, a junior boy stands with a glass of Hennessy cognac in his hand. Knowing he will feel guilty later, he takes a long swig and dizzily rejoins the party. Meanwhile, back on 51 University Boulevard East, the 5B bell is ringing.

Such social gatherings have become known at Blair as skipping parties. "Basically, skipping parties are where several guys and girls decide they're not coming to school for a day, and they find a house to hold a
party at," ninth grade administrator Richard Wilson explains. Wilson approximates that these parties occur two or three times a year, but a junior boy who wishes to remain anonymous claims they happen almost
once a week. Despite the consequences of being caught, several Blazers continue to engage in parties that involve dangerously excessive alcohol use along with sexual activity and can lead to losing credit or failing.

"A way to get away"

The junior boy has been attending skipping parties since his freshman year and estimates that usually 20 to 50 students attend. Although most participants are from Blair, students from other schools sometimes show
up. The parties consist of drinking, provocative dancing, cigarette smoking and occasionally the use of marijuana, according to him. He is notified of these parties by regular attendees. "Certain people are always there and you can always ask them. If not, the person throwing it usually invites people," he says. He claims that he and his friends go to have fun and get a brief break from school. A regular at skipping parties, junior Juan Ponce says he has been to three this year, which is not as many as he attended his sophomore year. "Last year, I was going at least once a week," he says. Pounce remembers why he attended his first party. "I didn't like my classes, and I was stressed," he recalls. "Plus, it was a Friday."

Sophomore Katya Bender claims that she also started going to skipping parties last year to avoid her studies. "I just didn't want to be in school. It was a way to get away from it all." Although Bender attended at least ten parties last year, she was not disturbed by the consequences of her skipping. " I LC-ed, like, three classes, but I got my credit back anyway," she says calmly.

Boredom also plays a role in skipping. Junior Jorge Mungia started skipping because classes were not interesting to him. "I was just trying to have more fun," he asserts.

Although students may enjoy getting away from school stress, Lieutenant John Hack of the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) emphasizes that skipping parties are not a smart way to escape. According to Hack, MCPD has tried to organize bowling and movie trips on early release and exam days, when students are more likely to skip. However, only about 11 Blazers have shown up for all of the events combined.

For Hack and other police officers, such turnouts are disheartening because students choose instead to engage in dangerous acts. Such acts, Hack fears, are tempting when teens get together with no supervision, because they "end up drinking alcohol or engaging in
sexual activity," he says.

"It was crazy"

Police are not only involved in helping students avoid skipping parties; Wilson says they are also the first people notified when a skipping party location is cited. "Our job is to ensure safety," MCPD Officer R. Hill explains.

Hack claims that police get involved when they are notified, usually by neighbors, of extreme noise, underage drinking and fights.

A senior girl who wishes to remain anonymous remembers a skipping party that was stopped by the police because of a verbal brawl that nearly turned physical. "This group of people got real twisted, so we kicked them out," she says. "They got mad and started making a scene, so the neighbors got scared, and they called the cops."

MCPD Corporal David Meng explains that when police are notified of skipping parties, they carefully surround the location to make sure no one leaves. People inside are identified, and if they are consuming alcohol underage, police write drinking citations and get their parents' names. "We try to stop everything without people leaving so that foot and car chases can be prevented," Meng says.

In spite of police precautions, the senior girl recalls the disorder that erupted when Blair students saw the police. "Everyone started [bailing] out. People were running out the door, jumping through windows. Some people couldn't get out, so we hid in the house. It was crazy," she remembers.

"Over that"

Now a former skipper, Bender has realized the costs of her actions. "A lot of stuff happens at them. You see guys take advantage of girls that get drunk, or sometimes girls do stuff they wouldn't do just because they are drunk," she says. "If I go and get messed up, I might not know what I'm doing. I might do something stupid."

Senior Juan Claros also says he no longer frequents parties. Despite attending three or four at the beginning of the year, Claros resolved to disengage from them. "Man, I'm over that," he claims. "I can't be dumb anymore because now I need to graduate."