Opinion

Howard Iverson: Meep mess didn't keep Danvers Town Meeting members from doing right by kids

Howard Iverson
Published: November 19, 2009

Meep it and weep.

It's not every day that Danvers pops up on the national cable news. But it did last Friday morning when CNBC reported briefly about the meep incident at Danvers High School.

Seems that high school Principal Thomas Murray and some members of the student body have a difference of opinion about the use of the word.

In case you're not a Muppet fan, "meep" is the only word ever spoken by a puppet named Beaker, a longstanding member of the "Muppet Show" cast. Beaker is the lab assistant of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew. Beaker is not blessed by a four-leaf clover and stumbles and fumbles his way through a variety of unfortunate incidents in the Muppet lab.

It seems that some Danvers High students adopted Beaker's one-word vocabulary and became annoying, particularly, it was reported, to a certain teacher.

A prudent educator might have handled the incident quietly, behind the scenes, with decorum and dignity; but Principal Murray chose to grab a bullhorn and rampage through the corridors of Danvers High School. Or he might as well have.

The principal phoned home with automated calls to parents, warning students not to use the word meep "because it would be seen as going against the request of the administration and cause a disruption in the school day," Murray told The Salem News. The principal also suspended several students "for multiple reasons."

Murray also warned parents about an attack being mounted by students on the social-networking site, Facebook. Something about a meep explosion, or implosion, perhaps.

Later, the principal said the Facebook "attack" never happened because students heeded his warning. Easy to say, hard to prove.

It's still unclear what precipitated the so-called "disruption" by certain Danvers High School students and why the principal felt the need to take public action certain to draw unwanted attention to a minor disciplinary incident. Automated calls to parents and multiple suspensions, coupled with an ambiguous attack on a popular social-networking site, are guaranteed to draw unwanted attention from outside sources.

In this case, the sources were national wire services, cable news networks and the Internet. Long gone is the day when an attack on a Muppet — not to mention freedom of speech — is strictly local news.

To put this incident in the perspective of public interest, there was a special Town Meeting in Danvers Monday to approve plans for a renovation and expansion of Danvers High School. The previous Thursday and Friday in the News there were stories about the special Town Meeting and the meep incident. By Sunday night there were zero responses to the Town Meeting story on the paper's Web site, while the meep tale garnered more than 385 comments. What does that say about our priorities?

The Muppets have long been a part of the national landscape. Clever, entertaining and non-threatening, the brainchild of puppeteer Jim Henson has long amused people of all ages. Entertainers and politicians clamor to appear with Kermit and Miss Piggy because the association enhances their popularity.

Beaker is nearly an original Muppet. He appeared during the show's second season and has been a popular loser ever since.

Beaker wants to be a player, but he never gets it quite right. It's not always his fault, but things explode, tumble, bumble and otherwise go bad when he's around. Something like a certain high-school principal who made a mountain out of a molehill in Danvers.

On the other hand, why did the Danvers students choose to adopt Beaker as the implement of their alleged disruption? Was it because today's world has made them feel vulnerable, like him? Or is it because they see themselves as victims of a world spinning out of control; a world best described by Beaker's meaningless "meep."

We hear that America has the best education system in the world, spouted mostly by those who don't really want to make the effort, in resources, time and money, to reach that lofty goal. Many European and Asian countries provide a better education than American schools because they set higher standards and demand more of their students.

New buildings do not necessarily translate into better education; they are only an architectural component of a well-designed education plan.

It's wrong to throw money at any worthwhile goal — education, health care, government — and expect it to work without sound research and thoughtful planning.

But without responsible funding, dreams go begging.

That's why Monday's vote was so important in Danvers. It's taken 10 years to come up with a fiscally responsible (no override) and workable plan. Now is the time for action.

Because when you get down to it, Beaker has a point. It's all meep, but it's better to get it right.

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Howard Iverson, a longtime North Shore newspaperman, is retired and living in North Andover.