On behalf of myself, and many other students, I would like to formally address the Drug and Alcohol problem that accompanied the 1999-2000 school year Vermont trip. Many times I have heard stories about the infamous Vermont Ski trip, and the many illegal things that have occurred consistently throughout the years. To the best of my knowledge this behavior was ignored, overlooked, and typical of this trip. So in believing that this kind of partying was habitual, I decided to participate along with several others who had attended past trips.
At first I was hesitant in bringing anything, but after a couple of conversations with certain ndividuals, I was convinced that it would be all right to do so without any punishment being enforced. Thus brought me to obtaining the single bottle I was bringing for a friend ,and I to consume with others, along with the other alcoholic beverages brought on the trip by my peers. This brings us to the time of departure for Vermont, on Thursday March 17, 2000. At approximately 11:50 PM I arrived to load the bus.
At a little after 12:00 AM we left the Holley High School for Vermont, without A Bag Check by any of the seven chaperones. After a ten hour drive we arrived at our destination, Stowe Ski Resort. At around 4:30 PM we loaded the bus to go to the Courtyard By Marriot, the hotel in which we would be staying at for the remainder of the trip. Following our arrival we were given the room assignments, we then unpacked our bags quickly, and my roommates and I hid the alcohol that we each brought under our beds. After that a majority of us students went to the pool, and jacuzzi for a swim before our expected 7:00 PM dinner time.
Dinner lasted for about a half an hour, to forty-five minutes, and soon after I then again went to the pool with a couple of people for another swim. Around 8:30 PM I returned upstairs to a friends room, where I then received a phone call from one of my roommates asking me if I planned on returning to our room to drink. I answered hesitantly, but after a little debating I decided to go back to my room. At that moment I only returned ,to change out of my swim clothes, before I headed back to the friends room. While I was in my room changing I was asked by two of my roommates to compare their drinks, and decipher which was better.
This then proves that the alcohol, both mine, and my roommates, had already been out and consumed long before I first returned. After that, I went to my friends room and we both then returned to my room at about 9:00pm. Upon arrival we had found six other people in my room already there for one purpose. I then proceeded to ask one of my roommates where the bottles were, he then replied in the liquor cabinet, sure enough there I found all the alcohol moved from under the beds where I last knew it to be, into the place where I was storing my clothes. At that moment I removed the bottle from the cabinet to pass around to my friends.
First I had opened the bottle so that everyone could smell the Butter Scotch aroma. After passing it around to all eight people including myself. , we then all took one baby sip from the bottle. A few moments after that most of the people in my room decided to go take a swim. Then three female students left to go change into their swimming attire, leaving my friend, three of my roommates, and myself in the room. At this point the bottle had been sealed for a couple of minutes. I was then listening to one of my roommates tell a story, while the other two changed.
During this short period of time there was a knock on the door, and Mr. Orbaker who was the ski rip advisor, walked into the room to see me holding the bottle in my hands. After I got done listening to my roommates story I then noticed Mr. Orbaker standing in the hallway staring at me. He then motioned for me to walk over to him, as I did he signaled for the bottle, grabbed the liquor and proceeded to say way to be an asshole and he then exited the room. Five minutes following the above incident he returned to the room, then started yelling at us with profane words. Screaming at us he then mentioned how he, has my room with alcohol, one room smoking cigarettes, and another room lighting a bowl full of Marijuana.
Furiously he next told everyone to get to their rooms and dispose of anything we didnt want him to see, because there might be a bag and room check. At this moment two of my roommates quickly emptied their alcohol into the sink and hid the empty bottles. Moments later he then went to every room and told them to rid of anything that was inappropriate on this trip, and how their might be checks through the night, and we had to sleep with our doors open. At 10 PM all students on the trip turned in for the night. To the best of my memory he was only checking rooms to see if we were engaging in any type of partying.
Approximately at 11:45pm he stopped all room checks in which there were never any complete searches of the room or bags. This completes our first night in Vermont. When my room woke up in the morning a parent chaperone came to our room to tell us to get rid of everything we had cause Mr. Orbaker was thinking about a bag check. Which I might add once again, never occurred. We left the hotel at about 7:45 AM for Sugarbush Ski Resort. As I got on the bus the first thing he said to me was what are you doing here? I replied with what? he then proceeded to say I thought you came here to party.
Following that I just sat down in my seat without saying a word to anyone. As we were on our way to Sugarbush he decided to talk to the group as a whole. Over the loud speaker he went on to tell us how he was very pissed off, and disappointed in us for doing what we did the night before. Then he went on to say he knows it was more than just one of us and how we were all guilty, however there were a few innocent people and they know who they were. After the ten minute lecture he finished it up by stating that we would be stopping at the store on the way home.
As he said that he made a rack how my room (room 201) would be better off if we picked up some Tylenol for our headaches, and how another room would benefit by buying Nicotine patches for their addiction. We next arrived at Sugarbush and he told us that he didnt care whether we had fun or not cause we already ruined his trip. Also that if there were any more problems we would be sent home early. After skiing around 4pm we made our way back to the hotel, but first we made a stop at the grocery store so we all could pick up snack items.
We arrived at the hotel around 5-5:30 PM, and then went on with our night like nothing had happened. At around 8:00 PM a student from another room took me up to the third floor and showed me where his room had thrown out their alcohol. There I saw three full bottles of liquor in the bottom of the garbage can. I asked the student when they threw the alcohol out and he said just after dinner on Saturday night. So almost 24 hours after my incident, there was still alcohol in many students possession, which in my eyes shows that Mr. Orbaker neglected his duties as a chaperone, by not searching every room, every bag, and every anything.
Later that night at 10 PM we had what I guess is the annual pizza party in Vermont, hich allowed us to stay out of our rooms until 10:45 PM. At that time we had to keep our doors open like we had the previous night, so he could check in on us. Despite of the curfew set forth by Mr. Orbaker, he himself allowed two students stay downstairs and converse with one of the boys relatives. At approximately 12 AM the two boys returned upstairs and went to bed. In the meantime Mr. Orbaker had been performing his little room checks and kept asking my room if the two students had returned.
Our room replied NO because one of the boys was staying in my room so we knew they hadnt returned. To me this shows how a little favoritism was exemplified by Mr. Orbaker. This now brings us to our final day on the trip, Sunday morning. We had all gotten up and on the bus like the day before, but this time without any comments to certain individuals. We left for Sugarbush around 7:45 AM. On our way there he again came on over the loud speaker and told us how last night was better, but how he hadnt forgotten, and how he wanted us to keep the trip positive, not negative.
After skiing till 3 PM we loaded the bus and left for home. The whole way home there were no problems or anything said about Friday nights fiasco. As we arrived in Brockport once again he used the loud speaker to state that the trip ended much better than it had started, and when talking to people outside of the ski club keep the trip positive and everything will be all right. Also as we pulled into the school parking lot ,he made the same statement once again, as above, and how we were all to be in school for homeroom.
The next morning I got up and came to school like any other day, and honestly expected everything to be all right like nothing happened. Just after 3rd period a member from the ski club rushed up to me and told me how they had just talked to Mr. Orbaker. They told me that Mr. Orbaker said to them remember how I told you guys to keep the trip positive, well its too late its out and I had to report it to Mr. Camuto. I then in a panic ran to Mr. Orbaker and asked him what was going to happen and he said how that he had to write me up, how he had to write up that he smelt cigarette smoke, and marijuana smoke.
During the middle of 4th period I was called down to the office to speak with Mr. Camuto. When I arrived he asked me about the situation and I proceeded to tell him what went on. I never once lied to him about anything that happened. I was then told by Mr. Camuto how I would receive 5 days in ISS, and lose all extra-curricular privileges for the next 20 weeks. I then asked Mr. Camuto what was happening with anybody else and he said that there was not much they can do because Mr. Orbaker only saw me.
I then asked him what was going to happen to the room where Mr. Orbaker smelt the marijuana, this time I was told that there was little checking they had to do and that they still had to talk to the boys that occupied that room. Later that day as I was sitting in the ISS room I heard over the loud speaker the boys that ere in the room associated with the marijuana smoke called down to the office. To my surprise nobody else joined me that day in ISS. At the end of the day I asked a friend what went on with the pot smokers and I was told how they all denied it, and just said people kept coming in and out of their room the whole night so they had no clue who was smoking.
I then went home around 2:30 PM to tell my parents what went on, but when I got home Mr. Camuto had already contacted my mother and asked for a meeting the next afternoon with himself, my parents, Mr. Orbaker, and I. So the next day at 3:30 PM my parents and I walked into Mr. Camutos office to find that he had no idea where Mr. Orbaker was. About ten minutes later Mr. Orbaker showed up and explained he was late due to the fact his dog had ran away, and he had just found him so he had to take the dog home first.
The first thing said in the meeting was my parents asking Mr. Orbaker for his side of the story. In which the story was the same as my parents had heard from both Mr. Camuto, and I. Next my father went on to ask why I was the only one in trouble for the entire trip. Instead of answering the question they decided to work around it and say how I was caught with the bottle in my hands. Next I asked Mr. Camuto again what was happening with the pot smokers and he then told me what can he do, they cant prove who did it so they cant punish anyone. I then said well punish everybody and he replied with we cant do that.
The meeting concluded with my parents saying that because our son told the truth and didnt lie, hes going to take the punishment for the entire trip, and also how we would like to talk to Mr. Pileggi about the incident and the fact of how the policy should be changed in a couple of ways. Mr. Camuto then said Ill talk to Mr. Pileggi in the morning and give you a call back tomorrow on what he ould like to do. To set the record straight it has been 3 days since the meeting, and STILL NO CALL BACK from MR. CAMUTO, and I would like to add my father has called Mr.
Camuto and left messages at least two different times for Mr. Camuto to call him back. On Friday during the day I decided to go to his office personally and ask about what had been done. Mr. Camuto told me how he had talked to Mr. Pileggi Wednesday morning and Mr. Pileggi did not know what he would like to do, and as soon as he found out he would contact us immediately. In conclusion I am left no other choice but to take matters into my own hands because my arents and I are tired of being blown off by Mr. Camuto.
I would also like to state that in no way am I saying I shouldnt be punished or that the punishment is in appropriate. I would just like to see others who were involved just as much, or more than me be punished to the fullest extent of the school policy as I am. In my opinion there should be many other students sitting out in their spring sport, having their National Honor Society membership revoked, and not attending the prom just like me. I would like to know since when in this world is telling lies acceptable and telling the truth gets you into ten times as much trouble.
