Barrington High School students and parents received an email on Monday afternoon that should serve as a wake-up call.

The email detailed two troubling trends that have surfaced at the school — one is poor sportsmanship by some spectators and the other is alcohol consumption at the games. 

“We understand team rivalries are an expected aspect of sports culture, however, this is not an excuse to exhibit unsafe or disrespectful behavior,” wrote BHS Principal Chris Ashley. “Additionally, and especially concerning, is the evidence of nip bottles and spilled alcohol left over on school grounds after athletic events. At the least this behavior creates an unsafe environment. At most, it is disrespectful, unsportsmanlike and denigrates the positive, encouraging atmosphere our community expects of all.”

Kudos to Ashley and other officials for sounding the alarm about these two trends. While the message may be downplayed by some — “Oh, it’s just kids being kids” — this town knows too well the dangers that can follow underage drinking. 

According to Ashley’s email, school administrators recently met with student leadership to discuss the concerns and “problem solve together so that we could develop enhanced guidelines for the safety and well-being of everyone.” The high school moved quickly to establish some new rules:

• Spectators are not allowed to bring open containers of any kind or backpacks to athletic events. 

• Any suspected students of being under the influence will be breathalyzed

• Additional staffing may be present to monitor spectator behavior 

• A firm stance on any dangerous or highly disrespectful behavior, leading to the immediate removal and, potentially school discipline, of any person exhibiting such behavior 

Everyone loves an energetic crowd at a home sporting event — even the BHS teams seem to play better when the crowd is cheering hard behind them. We appreciate the school also taking a loud and clear approach when it comes to what’s OK for fan behavior and what’s not. 

Stellar students

There’s a reason why this week’s newspaper features a front page article about 15 BHS students being named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists — it’s a very impressive achievement. 

The article details the odds of hitting this mark: More than 1.2 million students take the PSAT/NMSQT each year, but only 16,000 score well enough to earn the title “semifinalist.”

Congratulations to the 15 BHS students who it the mark this year, and to all the teachers, families and others who have supported them over the years.