Graduating from high school is a big deal. It's an accomplishment that should be celebrated. But some people go a little overboard with their celebration.
Such is the case of Mountain Brook High School, which organized a senior trip to Aruba, with more than 120 (some reports say as many as 138) high school seniors and about seven chaperones from the affluent community outside of Birmingham, Ala.
The five-day, fun-in-the-sun escape turned into a time of panic after one of the students didn't show up for the return flight.
The 18-year-old woman was last seen with three men leaving a dance bar in the early morning of May 30.
Two men have been charged and three questioned in the disappearance.
Aruba, although it's historically a playground for Americans and their disposable incomes, is a foreign country. Whenever an institution, such as a high school, organizes a trip abroad for its students, much precaution must be taken to ensure the students are safe.
It's different when high school students head to a place such as Cancun, chaperone free. But because it was a community-organized event, and there were chaperones there, one can't help but wonder why students were allowed to party it up all week.
It strikes us as a little odd that parents, teachers and other community members would deem it OK to let their kids go to a foreign country and party all week and then be shocked when something goes wrong.
It's horrible the young woman is missing. We sincerely hope she is found alive and well.
It's easy to forget that bad things can happen to good people, especially when you're relaxing on a beach all day and dancing all night on a Caribbean island. This incident could have befallen any high school senior, whether on a graduation trip or spring break.
The chaperones on this trip were necessary because, even though the majority of students were 18 and legally considered adults, they still have a lot to learn. The chaperones are not entirely to blame for the young woman's disappearance.
But such freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want is thrust upon people of that age so quickly, when they're not quite ready for it. Throw alcohol and a carefree attitude in the mix and things can get really dangerous. Plus, it's almost impossible for seven chaperones to be responsible for 120-140 teenagers.
