1:20 P.M. At The Party

By Flora Tartakovsky

With school out early, about 50 kids gather in the backyard of the home of a sophomore. There's talk of a keg in the basement, and a steady stream of hopefuls goes downstairs to check it out. They return, disappointed that there's no keg but sporting Cokes spiked with bourbon. There's more smoke in the air than in a New York City bar, and not all of it comes from cigarettes. In a corner of the yard, three kids are smoking marijuana.

The timing of this Tuesday bash is unusual, but the scene isn't. Student parties are a weekend staple in Webster Groves, and along with them come the vices all parents dread. Only a fraction of the students experiment with Ecstasy or LSD, but they do drink. "Basically, a lot of people think there's nothing else to do but drink," says senior Adam Wise.

Outside the realm of adult supervision, the kids have set their own standards for acceptable drinking behavior. A student who says his father is an alcoholic doesn't worry about his own drinking because "I don't drink when others don't drink. If you drink by yourself, that's different." He has no problem finding drinking buddies. Even without a fake ID, it's not hard to get cigarettes or a six-pack. "Everybody has older siblings, and everybody has older friends, so they can go and get it for them," says Detective Dave Dreher.

The police are quick to break up teen parties in Webster. The last time this sophomore threw a party, the police showed up twice, and there's concern they will show up today if guests drink out in the open. Even worse, under an ordinance passed last year, parents can be held responsible for their kids' hospitality. As part of a crackdown, adults whose children throw unsupervised parties are issued a warning letter by police. A second offense can mean a summons and a fine.

The school has little control over what students do off campus. But because tobacco smoke can disguise marijuana and is a threat to safety and health, Webster Groves High is smoke-free. "Only six years ago, we allowed smoking right on campus," says assistant principal John Raimondo. Before the days of walkie-talkies, says sophomore Justin Mahley, his brothers' friends smoked bong bowls of marijuana in the courtyard. But, he says, "they don't let anything slide anymore."

Lunch is one of the few outlets left. A senior who has smoked almost daily since freshman year keeps a bong in his car, which has marijuana seeds scattered all over it. During the 27 minutes he has to drive to Burger King and back, he gets high. "It makes school more interesting," he says. He notes that he's lost his ambition over the years, though he doesn't know why.

Booze, however, is Webster's bogeyman. "The majority of kids go out and go drinking and then go home," says Raimondo. "It puts them at risk for auto accidents and bad choices." Every two years the school stages a brutally realistic drunk-driving accident for 11th- and 12th-graders. Right outside, two cars are smashed together, and five "bloodied" students are put inside. Two of them are said to be dead at the scene, and a third must be extricated by firemen wielding metal cutters while a helicopter stands by. The scene always has a chilling effect on students.

But it lasts for only a short time. Even the real-life deaths in the past two years of four students--one of whom, Erica Brussel, was killed by a drunk driver--haven't stopped students from putting themselves at risk. "Sometimes it makes more sense when you're really drunk to get into a car with someone who isn't as drunk," says a sophomore. After a party last Saturday night, that's exactly what she did. "I think a lot of times people are more concerned with having fun than their safety," she says.

With many parents working, it is hard for them to monitor their children. Unless they forbid their kids to go out with friends, parents must rely on trust. "I feel that if [my son] hasn't learned the proper values by 16, then we haven't done our job," says a mother. Sometimes it is easier to simply avoid a confrontation. "Usually my parents ask me where I'm going, and I say, 'Out,'" says a senior. "If they keep badgering me, I say I'm going out to get drunk. They think it's very funny, but I'm not joking with them."

--By Flora Tartakovsky