School Served Gin to 6th Graders

I saw this headline and just had to laugh. Of course, I wouldn't be laughing if it were my kid.


School defends serving gin to students

State education officials said they’ll investigate a northeast Ohio charter school that served gin to sixth graders at a graduation ceremony.

Four students were given a teaspoon of gin mixed with water on Tuesday in a ceremony modeled on a Ghanian rite of passage event, said Kwa David Whitaker, an official with the Phoenix Village Academy.



The school’s curriculum emphasizes African history and culture, and the ritual was intended to teach truthfulness, said Whitaker, who oversaw the ceremony.

The students were blindfolded, giving them the uncertain feeling that goes with moving from one stage of life to another, he said. Each student was given a teaspoon of water and a teaspoon of the gin-water mix, and then asked to identify which contained water.

The students recognized that the gin wasn’t water and spit it out before swallowing, Whitaker said. The point is to teach the children to be honest, he said.

I just love the part were the students were blindfolded. I think this lesson is teaching the students something, but I don't think it is "honesty." It sounds more like something you would do at a college frat party.

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Related Tags: Ghana rite of passage, public school, home school, stupid things done at school, gin, sixth grade