<p>OK, I’ll be going to Europe, including 7 days in France, with my high school class this coming summer. My teacher is a bit of a renegade, so I think he will allow us to imbibe. Should I?</p>
<p>You should know your school’s policies, and obey them, even if they are stupid. If they allow you to drink in a controlled and responsible way, then do what you want.</p>
<p>You should not do anything that does not comply with the school rules on a school-sponsored trip. This will usually include anything alcohol and drugs-related, regardless of the laws of the country you are visiting.
If it is a private school, you will likely get expelled (and if it is public suspended) - absolutely not worth the risk, in both cases.</p>
<p>If you graduate before the trip, and have your final transcript sent to your future college before this trip, I doubt that the school can do much…
It would be really stupid to take any risks at this point though.</p>
<p>Well, you should know the chaperons going pretty well… are they strict? Would they really go through all the trouble of reporting you?</p>
<p>Last year, I went to Brazil with my school. We were all 16 and 17, and the drinking age there is 18. No one ever carded. For two nights in a row, we were allowed out on the town (a small, safe, touristy one) on our own, and both nights 95% of the people got drunk. The chaperons weren’t stupid… they knew. But they turned a blind eye. Partly because they knew we were safe (they WERE strict about curfew) and partly because they didn’t want to go through the trouble of reporting it, possibly having to send people home, and then having to deal with it when we got back. Not to mention the danger of canceling future trips because of this.</p>
<p>But then, we knew we wouldn’t be caught, so there wasn’t much danger. Just access your risk. Is a little wine or a cocktail worth not graduating? Heck no. Is it fun to go a little wild and have some fun in a foreign country if there’s not much danger? Oh, yes.</p>
<p>Students in any EC in our HS sign a contract they agree that they won’t drink at all and won’t be present where alcohol is consumed. (I assume they permit a student to remain in his own home while his dad drinks a beer.) The penalty for violation is being kicked out of the activity, plus whatever other penalties the school imposes.</p>
<p>This year some rival girls in the same EC posted Facebook or My Space pictures of each other drinking. Administration went on a witch hunt of any pictures they could find online of the girls in the EC. One girl had posted family vacation pictures where they all had fruity drinks with umbrellas in front of them on the table. The girl was called into the office and explained that no, hers was not alcoholic.</p>
<p>It is a question of balancing the risks vs. rewards. For many of us, the “reward” of drinking vs. the potential consequences/risks just don’t balance out. I’d err on the side of not drinking because I know HSs that have had heavy consequences to students who drink ANYTHING connected with a school trip.
My S went to Australia with his marching band as a HS senior. He was 18 but chose not to drink, even to the legal age there was 18. They had a lot of free, unsupervised time. I think all the kids followed the contract they signed, which included NO alcohol. He & they have the whole rest of their lives to drink–why rush?</p>
<p>KollegKid,
If this trip is POST-graduation, and your parents are ok with you having wine or beer, there really is nothing your high school can or should do to penalize you. Having said that, don’t make a fool out of yourself and get smashed unless you want to ruin your trip. Kids in France do not drink to get drunk, so use moderation if you are going to imbibe.</p>
<p>If you have to ask this kind of question, you know that the real answer is NO. You just don’t want to hear it. So, I’ll pretend that you are Happykid.</p>
<p>“The answer is No. No drinking. Not with the teacher. Not with the other students. You know better than that!”</p>
<p>“But why, Mom?”</p>
<p>“Because you will be with other kids who can’t.”</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re questioning your teacher’s judgment, which may be wise in this case. Why not follow your instinct and ask the principal? Lay out the facts as you’ve presented them here…
You’ll have graduated already.
You’ll be of legal drinking age in the venue.
You anticipate (why?) that your French teacher will allow or encourage you to drink wine.
… and see what the principal says. If the word is No, don’t do it – then don’t do it. If the word is Sure, go ahead – then enjoy your wine in a responsible manner. If the word is Well, we can’t stop you but we really don’t want you to – then comply with their wishes, or future students will curse your name when the trip is not offered again. Think of that as “paying it forward” to the next class, as earlier student groups have done for you. Whenever you’re on a school-sponsored trip, whether school is in session or not, you represent your school and its student body.</p>
<p>I know French wine is nice and it’s part of the culture and all… but you don’t have to drink it just because you’re in France. As HImom pointed out, you’ll have many, many opportunities to drink French wine and other alcoholic beverages in the future.</p>
<p>Orangina is a little bit sweet and a little bit fizzy, but is quite refreshing. Even Fanta Orange in Europe is very drinkable - refreshing rather than syrupy.</p>
<p>While the school may not be able to do anything to you, there is a good chance that if something goes wrong the teacher will be disciplined (ie fired). If the school rule is that you cannot drink while on a school sponsored trip, then you cannot drink. You may have already have graduated but for the purposes of this trip you are still a student. The school may allow adult chaperones to enjoy a glass of wine, but the teacher cannot give you permission, either explicitly or implicitly to break a school rule.</p>