Rockville High School Students Have a "Frustrating" Day Following the Rejection of a Prom Gift

Rockville High School Principal Eric Baim said the buzz began before classes even started on Tuesday.

The students could not stop talking about it.

It was the junior prom saga. Over the course of about a week, it started with a foreclosure sale announcement at La Renaissance in East Windsor and continued with a scramble to find a new venue that landed the Class of 2014 at The Riverview in Simbsury, but made the class account $2,000 lighter between two deposits.

And then Board of Education Democrats voted to reject an offer from Adam Weissberger, a local insurance executive who is a Republican member of the Town Council to pay for the La Renaissance deposit, which is most likely lost in the foreclosure shuffle as a “non-refundable deposit.”

Baim and class Vice President Cassie Bartol said it was a day of frustration and, in some cases, anger.

One teacher said the students "were just upset."

"We worked hard to raise the money and it was really hard in the morning to understand what happened," Bartol said.

Bartol then paused and her question turned Rhetorical.

"Politics," she said.

Added Amy Eitelman, a Junior Class representative, "Losing the deposit and venue was hard but then we heard about the donation so it would not be a total loss. Now it feels like we've lost the $1,000 twice."

Bartol said she remembers working early morning and late afternoons on a can and bottle drive. Sarah Vincze, the junior class treasurer said fundraising has been a constant process.

"It's pretty disappointing to me mostly because class government and the junior class in general have worked so hard to raise the money we lost," she said. "We've spent countless hours manning fundraisers, selling tickets,  and coming up with new fundraisers in the classroom. It's so tough to see the money we worked so hard for being taken away from us. But on the other hand we are really excited to see all the support from the town … Hopefully, it will work out for us and we can have a great prom."


Junior Class President Mathew Bilmes was critical of the no votes.

"I am very disappointed and frustrated by the board's decision," he said. "It is too bad that certain members of the board have decided to put their own political interests ahead of their job, which is to do what's best for the students of the Vernon public school system."

Republican Town Committee Chairman Harold, "Hal" Cummings said the story hits close to home because he has a son who was a junior class president at RHS.

"I learned on Monday night that the donation was rejected by the Democrats on the Board of Education without debate or discussion. I am disgusted," he said. "I was on the Bd of Ed for nine years from 1974 to 1983, and in all that time, and in the 30 years since, I am not aware of such an outrageously  partisan,  politically motivated vote on an issue of substance by a Board of  Education. Arn, Percy, Goldich and Buttar should  be ashamed of themselves. Adam's donation was not political until they chose to make it so."

Cummings said it is not wartime.

"I  pledge, as chair of the Vernon Republican Town Committee, that no matter how much their vote infuriates me, we will not retaliate in kind because the only people who will lose in such a battle will be our children. I will, however, ask the citizens of the town of Vernon to remember their despicable action when we go to the polls in November."  

Cummings said he has invited Elizabeth Barr, faculty adviser to the RHS Junior Class - and several students - to Wednesday night's VRTC meeting, which is scheduled for 7:30  p.m. at Town Hall.

The Republicans will be seeking pledges for prom donations, Cummings said. His said his initial thought was a series of $99.99 gifts, which would be under the cap for a school board acceptance vote by a penny, but said he’d be undecided until the donations are added up.

Parents on social media sites were also discussing pledges to the Class of 2014.

Democratic Mayoral Candidate and Town Council member Thomas DiDio said he stands by his comments of the last council meeting when he thanked Weissberger for the donation.

For the full Board of Education story, cick here.

Click here for rthe Democratic statement.