San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Tam High to-do list a big ‘don’t’ to school’s staff
“Smoke a whole pack of cigarettes in under 15 minutes . ... Take a rip and then drink the bong water . ... Rear-end a parked car and dip.”
Before Tamalpais High School Principal J.C. Farr finished reading the four-page list of instructions for the junior-senior scavenger hunt, it became clear that the informal school spirit tradition had gone awry.
“This is an unsanctioned, non-school-sponsored tradition that may have gone on for generations,” Farr said. After three years on the job he’s learned to anticipate a list every Memorial Day. This year he sent an email blast ahead of time, warning students and parents to expect it. Days later, the complaints started rolling in. Farr believes the original hunt was more lighthearted and benign, but over the years it’s become a form of teenage bravado and tests the limits of what’s appropriate or ethical. And each list tries to outdo the last one.
But this year’s version, larded with drug references, sexual innuendo and names of several students, touched a nerve in affluent Mill Valley — a former hippie haven located at the base of
Mount Tamalpais. As the list spread from student to student and parent to parent, eventually landing on the social media site Nextdoor, it stirred conversations about bullying and sexual harassment that are bubbling throughout the nation.
As criticism escalated and after the principal put out a note to parents, editors of the Tam News student newspaper decided to weigh in, calling for scavenger hunt reform.
“For years now, the list has included ‘hooking up’ with freshmen, sophomores, and sometimes even middle schoolers,” the editors wrote in a revealing piece that explained the mechanics of the prank.
In many ways, their description resembled a fraternity hazing. Upperclassman boys write the list of tasks and offer points for each one. “The more heinous the act, the more points one receives,” the editors wrote.
Some tasks are banal: “Egg a freshman from rival Redwood High School in Larkspur,” or “Get a hickey to ruin your prom photos.”
Then there’s this: “Have a freshman guy flash his wiener.” “Hook up with an eighth grader.” “Pick up a frosh (freshman) or sophomore and leave them at Summit or Headlands/(Golden Gate) Bridge lookout.”
Contestants videotape every act in order to get credit. Usually, the organizers dangle a cash prize for the winner.
That didn’t amuse the Mill Valley Police Department’s Sgt. Shaun McCracken, who posted a warning in a Nextdoor post about the criminal nature of the scavenger hunt activities.
“Many of the mentioned activities or ‘pranks’ will be considered as follows — kidnapping, sexual assault/ battery, unlawful sexual contact with a minor, child pornography, theft, vandalism, assault, battery, possession or consumption of drugs or alcohol, and criminal conspiracy for anyone participating or aiding in the commission of these crimes,” McCracken wrote.
He urged parents to speak with their children about the dangers of participating.
Only a small group of Tamalpais High School’s 1,600 students take part in this ritual of brash high jinks, bluster and teenage torment. But it affects just about everyone, said Skye Schoenhoeft, a junior who edits the school newspaper.
“There’s this underlying fear that the upperclassmen will harass you,” she said. “Because you get singled out on the list if you’re the younger sibling of an upperclassman, or if you have a reputation.”
Tara Taupier, superintendent of the Tamalpais Union High School District and a former social studies teacher at the high school, said reading the list made her heartsick.
She said she’s spoken with parents who vaguely knew about the scavenger hunt, but had no idea it promoted such brazen conduct.
“They thought students were stealing pizza boxes and maybe defacing a sign,” Taupier said. “They were completely taken aback.”
The list disappointed Taupier particularly, because she and other school officials have tried to educate students on harassment and the dangers of risky behavior.
“And then this is how they choose to celebrate the end of their career here,” she said.
Farr spoke privately with several students and held an assembly with the senior class, to discuss the importance of empathy. Then he wrote a stern letter to parents. He attached an unofficial version of the list that administrators and parents pieced together by interviewing kids. Students familiar with the real document said Farr provided a close approximation.
“Sexual assault, sexual harassment, theft, and vandalism are never okay. Drug and alcohol use by our young people is potentially lethal and never okay,” Farr wrote, calling for a “frank discussion” of the scavenger hunt list and the behavior it promoted.
“To say that I am disappointed is an understatement,” he concluded. “I am angry and I am embarrassed — feelings I never thought I’d have as the principal of this amazing school.”
So far, he’s not sure if anyone actually partook in any scavenger hunt activities. Taupier believes just a few students wrote the list and that it doesn’t reflect the attitude of the larger student body.
Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@ sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan