‘Longstanding traditions’ disbanded at Snow Canyon High after banners promoting ‘Men’s Week’ posted

Posters promoting "Men's Week" line the halls of Snow Canyon High School, St. George, Utah, Oct. 23, 2018 | Submitted photos, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — After posters promoting “Men’s Week” were placed within the halls of Snow Canyon High School Monday, the school administration immediately took them down and condemned them.

A poster promoting “Men’s Week” is placed within the halls of Snow Canyon High School, St. George, Utah, Oct. 23, 2018 | Submitted photo, St. George News

Some of the posters included sexist jokes about women, while one poster placed over an entrance read “Enter if you believe men are the superior gender.” Photos of the banners spread across social media, with one post about the banners being shared over 500 times on Facebook.

Men’s Week was a tradition at Snow Canyon High School that started Monday and had scheduled activities like arm and leg wrestling, a video game tournament and an opportunity for male students to be released early from classes for pizza on Friday. The week was meant to be a complement to “Women’s Week,” which usually happens in February before a school dance.

Warren Brooks, the principal of Snow Canyon High School, issued a statement to parents of students Tuesday, in which he apologized for the gender-specific weeks and called the posters “inappropriate” and “thoughtless.”

“We realize our mistake and are saddened at the course these events have taken,” Brooks said in the statement.

The posters were placed in the halls of the school after regular school hours and were not sanctioned by the school. They were discovered Tuesday morning, when administrators immediately removed them and started reevaluating the activities for Men’s Week, said Steve Dunham, spokesman for the Washington County School District.

“The events of the week have been changed to be all-inclusive,” Dunham told St. George News. “Today, for example, they were doing arm and leg wrestling. You know what, that’s not an all-inclusive event.”

The early-out day and pizza party on Friday are now open to everyone, Dunham said. After this week, there will no longer be a Men’s Week or Women’s Week at Snow Canyon High School, he said.

Brooks also touched on the decision to “immediately eliminate these types of divisive events and celebrations” in his statement.

With ‘Men’s and Women’s week’ we have missed the mark and apologize to our parents and students. … We are sensitive to the longstanding traditions of our school, but those traditions may not fit into our current society in the way that they used to be intended.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

 

 

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17 Comments

  • old school October 23, 2018 at 8:29 pm

    What’s the problem? Sign’s just reflect what they’re taught in the church

    • xbcmc059 October 23, 2018 at 9:17 pm

      Zackly!

      • R. Carter October 24, 2018 at 2:26 am

        *Exactly.

        • xbcmc059 October 24, 2018 at 2:08 pm

          You’re “ZACKLY” right, and so is “Old School.”

    • dogmatic October 24, 2018 at 7:35 am

      If you have ever been to church you would know that their teaching is about the superiority of women and how men should be the protector and bread winner, women stay home and nurture our most valuable positions, our children.
      Your confused no apologies necessary.

  • AnotherReader October 23, 2018 at 9:15 pm

    This is horrific. Do we really have these types of people amongst us who would make these kinds of jokes? How can we even begin to explain these vile comments to our children. There is not punishment enough for administrators that would allow a men’s week. What were they thinking? It should now be called Men’s Weak. But I know we are all excited for Women’s Week in February.

  • Kace45 October 23, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    I have two college age children who both attended Snow Canyon. This abhorrent tradition is called BOTS week or “Battle of the Sexes.” It happens every year and it’s terrible. My daughter and several other students complained when she was there, but of course no one listened — they just told her to chill out and stop taking everything so seriously. The ongoing nature of this “tradition,” despite previous student and parent objection, is a reflection of the poor administration there. I’m glad some media attention is finally being drawn to this issue. Unfortunately that’s what it seems to take at Snow Canyon for any productive change to happen.

    • Redbud October 24, 2018 at 1:33 am

      You’re just upset because it’s the truth, and the truth hurts. Women can bash men all they want with no consequence whatsoever, but as soon as a men bash women, all of a sudden everyone (especially democrats) go “OMG, can you believe what he just said?” Then the next thing you know it’s all over CNN. Maybe you should listen to their advice and take a “chill pill.”

      • iceplant October 24, 2018 at 7:45 am

        Dude, you need to cool it. If you want to act like a caveman, you go ahead. But don’t expect people to give you a lick of respect. This crap that goes on at high schools is stupid and childish. This type of behavior belongs in the past. Start showing women respect or move to some hellhole like Alabama where angry white men are still a thing.

        • Redbud October 24, 2018 at 2:38 pm

          Iceplant, I’ve got tons of respect already, more than you will ever receive. That stuff is “childish?” I actually agree with you, but they are kids after all, so I say let them be kids. Believe it or not, kids are allowed to have some fun now and then at school. It was some good clean fun, and if you read anything more into it, then you wallow in ignorance. You ask me to show women resepect, but it’s not about respecting women. It’s about respecting people. I respect people, men or women, who respect me. I am not obligated to respect all women, because there are some people who don’t deserve respect. At least these kids didn’t graffiti all over the school or do anything violent. Take a chill pill.

          • iceplant October 24, 2018 at 4:47 pm

            Wow, Just… wow. Like I’ve said before, I see you. Stay classy.

  • max October 24, 2018 at 8:45 am

    Its true. The worst thing you could possibly be in this world is a white male. Everyone is out to beat you down.

  • No Filter October 24, 2018 at 1:45 pm

    Children are a by-product of their parents. I would expect nothing less from many of the people in the Snow Canyon School district.

  • Mean Momma October 24, 2018 at 2:11 pm

    Huh…. this is funny. They say they learned their lesson, yet a few years ago this same issue prompted an almost exact article to be posted about the same school. Yeah, lesson well learned. Someone needs to be fired at this point.

  • Skeptic October 24, 2018 at 4:01 pm

    So…this is what passes for news these days? Some 16 year old kid exercises his right to free speech (even if it is in poor taste) and some other 16 year old CHOOSES to be offended and goes home to share it with her parents, who immediately call every media outlet in the state and you have the biggest new story of the week! Maybe it was just a slow news day…

    • iceplant October 25, 2018 at 8:55 am

      And you chose to be offended by this article and share your opinion.
      Obviously, it was a faster news day than you thought. You’re here, aren’t you?

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