A Letter from the Principal of TC Williams

Letter from Ms. Maxey about last night's prom.

Dear Parents and Guardians, The senior prom was held last evening at the Army Navy Country Club. The event was well planned and chaperoned by all administrators and many staff members. The students were beautifully dressed and behaved appropriately all night. However, we want to inform you of an unfortunate situation.     Traditionally, attendees are given prom favors to commemorate the event. The student prom committee and sponsors ordered what was advertised in the commercial prom favor catalog as a "dessert glass." This is the type used in some local restaurants for mini desserts. The glasses were placed in small decorative bags and displayed in the prom area. As students leave they receive one of these bags. Midway through the prom the administration viewed one of the glasses and become concerned about its appearance. Although labeled as a "dessert" glass, it looked like a "shot" glass. Since the prom was in progress and the bags were already prominently displayed we felt it better to allow their distribution. The dismantling of the bags would have been both disruptive and time consuming. However, we want to be sure that students and parents understand that it no way does T.C. Williams High School condone underage drinking. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Prior to the prom a serious meeting outlining the dangers of drinking and using any controlled substance is discussed. Before being able to purchase a prom ticket, students must sign a "prom promise" where they agree not to use drugs or alcohol during prom night. Additionally, the school has and will continue to take strong disciplinary action against students who engage in the use of either illegal drugs or alcohol on school property and during school events. We regret that this prom favor in any way contributed to any other perception. You can be assured that in the future the administration will approve the selection and purchase of prom favors. We apologize for this situation and make our own prom promise that this will not happen again. We hope that this will not detract from the hard work and dedication of both the student prom committee and the class sponsors. They have worked very hard to plan all senior activities and we are grateful for their commitment to our students. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. As always, if you wish to discuss this, please don't hesitate to contact myself or another member of the administrative team.