Tumult at Palisades High Leads to Ban on Evening Events

Student parties and evening activities at Pacific Palisades High School were banned after an annual senior talent show was disrupted by unruly crowds, forcing schools officials to call police.

Principal Gerald Dodd last week said he canceled evening entertainment activities at the school--with the exception of the senior prom--after nearly 15 teachers and administrators were unable to maintain order among hundreds of students attending the talent show on Feb. 16.

Outsiders Blamed

“In order to control the kinds of crowds that were outside the school, we would have to hire police, and we simply don’t have the money to do that,” he said.

This is the second year the school has had difficulty controlling crowds of students who show up for the annual talent show, Dodd said. He blamed much of the rowdiness on students who do not attend Palisades High School.

“This year, we tried to limit the crowds by restricting the number of tickets sold for the event. But that didn’t work,” he said. “We had wanted just a local event, but there were people who came from Santa Monica, Dorsey and even Hollywood. When they were not allowed in, they became disruptive.”

He said at least 20 unruly students entered the auditorium without paying. Some students reportedly slam-danced to the music of heavy metal bands. Several minor scuffles broke out. After the performance, several empty cans of beer were found in the auditorium, school officials said.

“Some students gave us the impression that they were not sober,” Dodd said.

School officials called the police after students outside the auditorium refused to leave the school grounds. The students left after the police arrived. There were no arrests and no damage to school property, Dodd said. No one was hurt.

School psychologist Linda Levine described the evening as one of “extreme tension.” The problems, she said, began with the first musical group, which departed from approved music and played material that whipped the crowd into a frenzy.

‘Full of Violence’

“The music was full of violence and profanity,” she said, describing the heavy metal songs performed. “They altered the entire mood of the audience through their gestures and words in ways that we were not prepared for.”

Dodd said the ban may cause the cancellation of as many as six evening events this year. It does not apply to parent meetings or to drama performances that traditionally do not attract large numbers of students from outside the community. The school is also trying to reschedule two evening volleyball games.

The crackdown on student parties comes as the school has been struggling to cope with a number of alcohol and drug-related tragedies, including the deaths of three Palisades seniors and an out-of-town friend in a fiery crash on San Vicente Boulevard last October.

The Palisades has drawn national attention since it was reported that in less than two years, 10 students and young residents in the affluent community have suffered violent deaths, many involving alcohol and drugs.

The high school is one of the few to have a student-run chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. It also has a safe-rides program that provides transportation home, no questions asked, for students who have been drinking. The school is also looking into setting up a chapter of Friday Night Live, a statewide group that promotes sober parties for teen-agers.

Student reaction to the ban was mixed. “We don’t need Palisades to have parties,” said Tai L. Lee, 17, a senior. “We can party in Topanga and Brentwood if we want to have parties.”

Julie Kahn, a 16-year-old junior, said it was unfair to penalize the whole school for events that took place at a show sponsored by seniors.

And David Rubaum, a 17-year-old senior, said: “It’s a good idea because it seems every time we have a party or night event, people always act outrageous.”