“I was very stressed out at [Marin Catholic]. I shouldn’t have had to worry about being late too many times and then getting detention. … I feel like the things that [the school] did and the lengths that they went to [were unnecessary],” said junior Emilia Puccinelli, who transferred to Redwood from Marin Catholic High School (MC).
For years, Redwood and MC have been rivals. The commonly heard “F**k MC” chant from Redwood students at sporting events is evidence enough. But underneath the superficial rivalry, there is one striking difference between the two schools: disciplinary styles.
One defining difference between the schools’ guidelines is that MC’s disciplinary codes generally apply outside of school too, creating much stricter policies than Redwood’s predominantly in-school regulation.
A parent of both a 2020 Redwood graduate and a current MC sophomore, who would prefer to remain anonymous and will be referred to as “Martha,” noticed that the private school’s discipline extends far beyond school hours.
“At MC, their [policies] are run by the Catholic archdiocese,” Martha said. “All of their policies come from [church officials] and [their enforcement of school policy is] 24/7. It’s not just what you’re caught doing on campus. It pertains to how you behave as just an everyday citizen out in the community and the world … I think at Redwood the code of conduct is related to school. There’s no way they can police students out of school.”
Beyond Marin County, a national debate continues over how much control a high school should have and the methods of discipline used by public versus private schools. This poses an essential question: how do the disciplinary policies at a school affect the learning atmosphere it fosters?
According to the MC Parent and Student Handbook, “An MC student who publicly engages in behavior which seriously compromises the principles articulated … will be referred to the Principal, Deans and/or the Discipline Review Board and may be liable for dismissal from school. (Please note: This includes off-campus behavior, incidents that occur during vacation periods, and images and postings on facebook.com, etc.).”
These specific policies have a significant effect on the learning environment at MC, leaving some students feeling unsettled and on-edge while at school. Junior Olivia Mount transferred from MC to Redwood after disliking various social and academic aspects of the school. Mount described MC’s strict policies as overbearing, as they produced challenges that contributed to a negative school environment.
“[Redwood] is more of a welcoming community,” Mount said. “No one really cares about other people’s mistakes. If you’re throwing a party, you’re not out to hurt anyone. I think that some of the things [MC] kicks people out for are just [students’] mistakes. I mean, we are what, 16, 17?”
Redwood’s more lenient philosophy creates a distinct atmosphere that greatly differs from MC’s “matter-of-fact” disciplinary actions.
On the opposing end of the disciplinary spectrum, Redwood’s policies are mainly restricted to on-campus events, though the school prefers to decide punishments circumstantially.
Principal David Sondheim has long overseen the disciplinary policy at Redwood. He emphasized that a significant limiting factor on the administration’s control is their lack of punitory ability at unaffiliated school events.
In contrast, according to the MC handbook, “a student who hosts a party attended by other Marin Catholic students, at which alcohol is served or at which alcohol or other illegal drugs are used with knowledge of the hosting student” is liable to disciplinary disqualification. This means the prohibition of participation in co-curricular activities including sports, drama and other school activities or events on the first offense. On the second offense, a student faces potential expulsion.
“I know in my cousin’s grade [at MC], … three kids in his grade got kicked out for throwing [parties],” Mount said. “It happens all the time.”
Similar to MC, the Redwood administration takes serious consideration when facilitating the consequences of student incidents. Sondheim suggested that the expected disciplinary consequence of an action may not be as vital as the mental or physical health of the student or students involved. Oftentimes, the school calls upon the wellness center after a disciplinary incident in order to prioritize the emotional health of students.
Despite most administrative decisions being made in response to a specific situational occurrence, there are incidents when the school has no say in the severity of the consequence.
Puccinelli and Mount both found it in their best interest to transfer after witnessing the disciplinary policies at MC; however, MC junior Audrey Hemsworth has enjoyed her experience so far. She has not had an issue with the school’s disciplinary policies, although does recognize the sternness of the policies.
“[The school environment is] not super stressful. You just have to be kind of careful with what you say and what you do, especially if there are teachers around,” Hemsworth said.
Another stark difference between MC and Redwood is their methods of policing the use of technology at school. Though some Redwood classrooms are equipped with “phone jails” where students are expected to store their phones during class, phone usage outside class time and during breaks is entirely permitted. At MC, phone use during school hours is prohibited and rules surrounding technology use at school are strictly enforced.
“Earlier this year, I was walking, and my phone sort of fell out of the pocket of my backpack because it had a hole in it,” Hemsworth said. “I picked it up off the ground and put it in my jeans pocket because I couldn’t put it in my backpack. Then, the Dean of Students came up to me and took my phone. I got detention.”
During her time at MC, Puccinelli shared a similar experience to Hemsworth, receiving detention for perceived phone usage at school.
“I got detention one time because my phone rang during a test, even though I was trying to turn it off … [I had] to turn in my phone every morning before school to the Dean for two weeks,” Puccinelli said.
Martha has witnessed the disciplinary methods at both Redwood and MC from a parental view. Though their environments greatly differ, these environments suited each of her children individually.
“I wouldn’t say [that MC is] super strict,” Martha said. “They’re not running around with a ruler and slapping people’s hands. They expect [their students] to grow, just like Redwood expects their kids to grow.”
Despite their differences in expulsion, MC and Redwood share the same end goal: to facilitate learning in their students after mistakes are made.
“Hopefully, [after a mistake], the person who was responsible learned what they did, why it was wrong and what impact it had and hopefully makes amends,” Sondheim said.