WANTED: INFORMATION ON MIP PARTIES
Sheriff's Office asks for community assistance to keep kids safe
Launch the media gallery 1 playerIf you know of a MIP party going on now, call 911.
If you suspect a MIP party will happen or know of one that will occur in advance, call the Saunders County Sheriff's Dispatch at 443-1000 or Crime Stoppers at 443-8181. You may be eligible for a cash reward!
HELP US KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE!
WANTED: INFORMATION ON MIP PARTIES
Fransisco Scaramanga Here.Complainer | Feb 28, 2008 | This seems to be a response to the drinking party that was posted on myspace (In which, I wont include names) that Wahoo Public Schools was UNABLE to prosecute, or "Bust". Whats That? What's that Uncle Sam? What happens inside the school and what happens OUTSIDE the school are two completely different juristdictions? You cant prosecute without being caught or found guilty? Shucks. Its too bad the school doesnt have MORE power to control our lives. Maybe the answer isnt more school power, but more community involvement. Ever think kids do the things they do because there's nothing to do here? The town is dying. There are no new industries. No new technologies coming here. The Germans have a saying - "Was ist, Ist". "What is, Is". If you catch a minor drinking red-handed, by all means, prosecute. I am in no way condoning that kind of behavior. HOWEVER, The school has no right to peer into the matters of people's private lives outside of school grounds. This "Post" is just a modern day "WANTED" sign, except instead of a criminal, it's a group of children with nothing better to do than drink. Lets solve the problem, instead of making sure that "Criminals" are caught. We, are YOUR Criminals. |
| Chris Arentcarent@esu2.orgWahoo High SchoolPrincipal | Feb 28, 2008 | It is unfortunate that the previous poster is so ill informed. Please allow me to set the record straight. The article was posted in response to a community wide group that is directed by Project Extra Mile. The community group meets on a monthly basis, the first Thursday of every month, at Union Bank in Wahoo. The meeting is held at 10:30 a.m. and is open to everyone wanting to be involved. Through this group, this information was collected and approved to post in high schools throughout the county as well as local establishments that were willing to post the flyer. In addition, the community group has created the first youth group, piloted right here at Wahoo High School. We currently have 8 members and will begin a membership drive prior to the end of the school year. These things ARE being done in response to what we view to be a community and county wide issue of underage drinking. This issue is not new to us but our hope is that the community will make a priority of saying that this sort of behavior is unacceptable and must be stopped. As Principal of Wahoo High School it is part of my duty to support this community effort and to enforce our policies that help protect the students and families of this community. I would invite any community member including "Fransisco" to stop by and talk with me sometime or attend the community meeting on the first Thursday of each month. The youth group will also be hosting a community forum on March 4th at 7:00 p.m. at Wahoo High School concerning this exact topic. Please do not denigrate those who have put in substantial time and effort by saying this in response to one particular incident. This is an ongoing effort and will continue to be so regardless of those who sit on the sidelines and commentate. If you really wish to know what is going on feel free to get involved. |
Judy Stukenholtz Wahoo Elementaryteacher | Mar 03, 2008 | Thank you, Mr. Arent, for posting the correct information about the Project Extra Mile and what the county law enforcement is doing to try to PROTECT our kids!! Besides being illegal, underage drinking is life threatening! The problem of "nothing to do" has been an ongoing problem in this area, but it is not an excuse. Many teens find other activities to participate in that do not include drinking. That is not the answer to being bored or having nothing to do. Being so close to Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont does have it's advantages, but because of that, it is hard to keep businesses like movie theaters, bowling alleys, etc. open in the small towns. Wahoo and the surrounding communities are great places to raise families and with the improvements to our area with the new swimming pool, the civic center, library and hopefully, the fine arts theater, we will be able to provide fun, entertaining and educational activities to our youth so they won't be so bored! |
a wahoo student | Mar 04, 2008 | I am a student at wahoo and some terms i agree with fransisco that this town does need more things to do i mean only thing there is to do is hang at the coop which some reason ADULTS find that bad, and say we are bad kids for hanging down there. Another thing we STUDENTS do is we play fugitive,which does pass the time. Also on this turning mip parties in, there are a lot of lier's and drama queens at this school who like to TRY to get people into trouble, and teachers/administrators ACUSSING people of example being "high". Just a heads up that people do lie and start things. the town board should invest in things for teens, i think a bowling alley would be perfecy because it could also start a bowling team at the schools and have bowling leagues. i am not saying drinking is the way to go i do not agree that thats all what students do when there bored, if it was like that then thats pretty low. THANK YOU. |
Bob Nielsen 4 clicks northMale | Mar 10, 2008 | this is just disappointing. as a well known member of the wahoo community and a graduate of wahoo high school, i am apalled that the school is taking this kind of a stand on a community problem. as an establishment meant for educating children, i wouldnt have expected the school to back this half-solution. Busting the parties while they happen or before they happen isnt going to solve the problem. instead of being REactive, the community, the police and above all, the school needs to focus more on being PROactive. arresting people, and issuing citations doesnt teach anyone not to drink, it teaches them to be more secretive about it next time. while i understand that project extra mile is about saving lives, and that the school supports saving lives also, taking these kinds of measures isnt the way to solve the problem. it might stop someone from drinking once, but fear of the law isnt going to keep everyone off the bottle. because everyone always thinks they can do it without getting caught. instead of trying to punish them for doing it, lets try to educate them on WHY they shouldnt do it. if the reasons are good enough, and the natural affects are bad enough, they should speak for themselves. and if we cant educate them not to do it, then lets give them positive alternatives. maybe if there were more things to do around town kids might not be inspired to break the law in order to have fun. how about we show that we really DO care about this problem by supporting thing like a school sponsored fundraiser to build things for kids to do. like a bowling alley, or a skate park or a fun place where kids can hang out without getting into trouble. and if thats too much work for the school and/or project extra mile then how about at LEAST some more extra curricular activities at the school. having grown up in wahoo as a teenager i can vouch that unless you like to play sports theres really nothing at all to do in wahoo, in school or out. so instead of telling everyone to call 911 everytime theres a 16 year old planning on drinking a beer, lets try to make wahoo a more teen friendly place. and if no one except Larry Fangman wants to try to do that, then i know it really wouldnt be too hard for the school to open up a few extra clubs and intramural activities. if the school and the community really cares then lets actually do something about it instead of covering it up with a bogus solution. if parents arent learnin' their kids the right ways to do things, then next time a problem like this comes along, instead of taking the legal road, lets take it upon ourselves to try to find a solution instead of a punishment. something positive that will prevent the problem from coming up again instead of taking kids to court. |
James Anderson Here.Complainer | Mar 10, 2008 | I agree. By threatening teenagers with legal action, you only embolden them to try new ways to evade the law. You only undo your efforts. You claim to be trying to resolve the issue of "Nothing to do". I've lived here nearly 18 years of my life, yet I've seen NO. Progress. Whatsoever. Project Extra Mile, At heart, I feel is an excellent organization with a great goal. The means by which they would go about it, however, are not. By offering cash rewards, you incriminate those teenagers who have partaken in such activities - Pitting you against the very people you wish to help. Fugitive is one of the things us teenagers do to self-regulate such activity. It is unfortunate that some of the staff here at WPS disapprove of it. It is also unfortunate that recent events will make a negative impact on the game. |
| Jason Libaljlibal@esu2.orgWahooPrincipal/Activities Director | Mar 13, 2008 | I think it is important to clarify the statement of "some WPS staff disapprove of the game of fugitive." There is a difference between disapproving and having concern. As an administration and staff, we would be remiss if we did not relay the concern and care that we have for our students. As adults, we have the good fortune to speak and teach from past experiences. It is our duty and responsibility to educate our students through "our" learning experiences. If the game is played responsibly, it allows very few risks. However, when the game is played with little care and thought for each other, others property, or oneself, an inherent risk can occur. As a staff, we are simply relaying to our students that we truly care about them. Our primary goals, include the success, health, and character of our students. Obviously I was a teen once. I understand that sometimes it is hard to decipher the thought that adults, teachers, etc... truly care. Trust me "We Truly Do!!!" To those that have posted their thoughts - thank you for taking a well-thought, educated stance. |
former WHS student & parent of a current student nurse | Oct 09, 2009 | As a former WHS student and parent of a current student I must say that I am glad schools and the community are getting more involved in situations where students could be drinking. As a teen in Wahoo there wasn't much for kids to do besides sports....so we drank. It was not legal or acceptable, but it was over-looked much of the time. I lost many, many friends to drunk driving accidents, and still the problem was over-looked. When I was 16, I got caught for MIP. Then at the age of 30 I had to fight the state of Nebraska to get my nursing license....That MIP, which I thought at the time was no big deal....haunted me for 14 years after the fact. As parents, teachers and community members we need to find fun activities for our kids to do! Wahoo used to have a skating rink, bowling alley, and movie theater....now, it doesnt have much of anything for these kids. Lets find new and creative ways for our kids to engage in fun that doesn't involve drugs or alcohol. |