Rolling Meadows High School students wore pink as the theme for a 2019 football game against Prospect High School. A controversy surrounding the theme of Thursday night’s game resulted in threats against school staff, an official said Wednesday.
Daily Herald file photo, 2019
Rolling Meadows High School officials found themselves playing defense Wednesday amid growing social media-fueled controversy over the topic of student spirit for tonight’s football game against Deerfield High School.
According to a message that Principal Megan Kelly sent to the school community, the theme “Barbie and Ken” was chosen before the start of the school year and revealed to students on August 22.
However, Kelly says, some “incredibly passionate” students have recently sought to change their theme. Social media posts indicate these students instead wanted an “USA” or “red, white and blue” theme for the game. Other schools in Northwest Suburban High School District 214, including Prospect, Hersey and Buffalo Grove , held similar themed parties in the United States during their soccer matches last week.
Typically, students in the stands wear clothing reflecting the theme of each game. Other themes this year at Rolling Meadows include “Tropical,” “Wild West” and “Superheroes,” the Stampede cheer club Instagram page says.
According to a message shared with the Daily Herald by a student and posted on social media, a school staff member sent Stampede club leaders a message threatening to cancel the group’s activities for the remainder of the season. football if they did not comply. with the original Barbie theme.
“THIS ABSOLUTELY CANNOT HAPPEN,” the message read. “If this is the case, there will be immediate consequences.”
The message added that changing the theme would be a direct challenge to the school’s leadership and “will not be taken lightly.”
In his Wednesday letter, Kelly described the message as an effort to keep students on the original theme.
“While well-intentioned, neither the tone nor content of the message was appropriate nor does it reflect how we, as a school or district, communicate with our students, staff or families,” a statement said. writes Kelly. “The message was sent to nine students and then shared on social media, which resonated well beyond the walls of our school community.”
School staff members received threatening calls and emails, she added.
“I would like to reiterate: All students in District 214 are always free to wear whatever they want to school or any school-sponsored event,” Kelly wrote. “We simply ask that their choices follow the guidelines outlined in our dress code.”
