T-SHIRTS STIR UP CONTROVERSY AT CAMPBELL HIGH

LITCHFIELD - Officials at Campbell High School say students will be
punished if they continue attending class wearing unauthorized senior
T-shirts promoting underage drinking and drug use.

This week about 15 students were caught wearing three different
versions of Campbell High School class of 2008 T-shirts that feature
not-so-subtle drug or alcohol references, Principal Bob Manseau said.
"Messages advocating the use of drugs and alcohol, even cleverly
conceived ones, are unacceptable," Manseau said.

The students were not punished, and the tees were not confiscated.
But Manseau said the T-shirts violate the school's dress code and
that starting today, any pupil spotted wearing them to class will be
disciplined.

Manseau said he did not know how many of the senior class' roughly
140 students own one of the shirts. It is not clear who made the
shirts or who paid for them. But the principal stressed that their
design was not OK'd by the school or the senior class adviser.

"The students wouldn't say where they got them from," Manseau said.
"But it's probably a student-driven effort."

The first shirt features an apparent reference to the psychedelic
drug LSD. It reads "Litchfield School District" on the back. The
letters "LSD" are highlighted, accompanied by the phrase, "2008 . . .
What a trip!"

A second shirt features the iconic logo of the Jack Daniel's
Tennessee whiskey distillery, along with text references to Campbell
High School. In place of whiskey's name, "Old No. 7," is a reference
to the class of 2008, Manseau said.

And a third T-shirt reads, "Class of 08," along with the phrase,
"Take it to the limit." A cougar paw, made to resemble a decimal
point, is in front of the "08," turning the year to .08, the state's
legal blood alcohol limit, Manseau said.

A similar senior class T-shirt was discovered earlier this year at
Oyster River High School in Durham, with "08 Pushing the Limit"
proceeded by a little paw.

On Tuesday, Manseau sent an e-mail to parents urging them not to let
their children wear the T-shirts to school.

And on Wednesday morning, an announcement was read at the beginning
of class warning the students they will be disciplined if they wear
the shirts to school.

"They've been warned and told that this not acceptable clothing for
school," Manseau said.

Section 1 of the school district's dress code prohibits students from
wearing T-shirts and other clothing and jewelry imprinted with words,
pictures or symbols advocating the use of alcoholic beverages,
tobacco or other drugs.