Disruptive Niles West Seniors Shut Down Pep Assembly

Rowdy students forced Niles West High School Principal Kaine Osburn to shut down a school assembly on Friday, the Niles Herald-Spectator reports.

Seniors started throwing toilet paper, silly string and other objects into the air during the boys gymnastics performance, and started chanting “2013," Niles West News reports.

“Before the assembly today, on the PA I again emphasized that certain behaviors would not be tolerated.  Nonetheless, at an orchestrated moment 15 minutes into the assembly, between 100 and 200 seniors chose to disrupt the gymnastics performance with a prolonged expression of chanting, cheering and behavior that became unsafe and made it impossible for the assembly to continue,” Osburn said on his blog.

Osburn’s blog said the materials being thrown made the bleacher area unsafe, causing students to fall over.

“Ultimately, the behavior was selfish.  The students involved have consistently chosen to put themselves before others, to the point that the purpose of assemblies is lost and having assemblies at all needs to be reconsidered.  Pep assemblies should be joyous occasions for celebrating our triumphs as a school.  But they are a privilege, and as such should not be indulged to the point of being counter to our values as a school,” the blog entry read.

Disciplinary actions will be taken against the students involved, Osburn said on the blog.