The recent events surrounding the “Thunderdome” incident have demonstrated the importance of character education at Episcopal and the need for increased community awareness of the values that are central to Episcopal’s mission. The unsportsmanlike behavior at the basketball game against Haverford on January 20th was a poor representation of Episcopal’s Stripes, which serve as the moral backbone of the school and set Episcopal apart from other institutions.
Episcopal fans crossed the line with their verbal and personal attacks against a minority student at Haverford, chanting offensive racial slurs and making comments about the sexual orientation of the opposing team. This behavior was not only morally reprehensible, as it could have endangered members of both the opposing team and the Episcopal community who found these chants offensive, but it also did not demonstrate the level of comportment that should be expected of Episcopal students. Regardless of the behavior of the fans of the opposing team, Episcopal students should be held to a higher standard that reflects the values of the school. Episcopal inculcates its students with values such as sportsmanship, courtesy, and respect as a part of its character education, which is just as important as the academic education it provides. As students, we should be expected to uphold these values and should be held accountable for the way in which we represent the school. This character education is what separates the experience students receive at Episcopal from that of other schools; it is essential to Episcopal’s mission to provide a spiritual education, as well as nurturing the mind and the body, and to inspire its students to “lead lives of purpose, faith, and integrity.” Character education is not something to be taken lightly; in order for the school to fulfill its mission, it is important that faculty members step in when students are not demonstrating the behavior expected of a member of the Episcopal community, as Mr. Collins did at the basketball game on January 20th.
Though many students have argued that it was wrong for the Thunderdome to be ejected from the game because the opposing fans were being just as offensive, Episcopal students should take pride in their school and the values it promotes and not allow the behavior of the opposing team to compromise their integrity. Though the atmosphere often gets heated during games against rival teams, Episcopal fans should never resort to personal attacks on high-school athletes. Though fans should focus on supporting Episcopal, it is unrealistic to say that they should never root against the other team; it is a part of sports culture that the athletes and fans alike understand. Nevertheless, such cheers should focus on increasing the energy to spur our athletes on; Episcopal fans should never resort to bringing race, sexual orientation, or other personal topics into their cheers, as they are unrelated to the game and can unintentionally put members of our own community down as well as endanger our opponents. Episcopal students should hold themselves to a higher standard than that.