Shock over Unley High students’ Schoolies T-shirts

IMAGES of a bong and a wine cask and the words “the drunkest and the highest” are how dozens of Year 12s from one Adelaide high school will present themselves at schoolies. TAKE OUR POLL

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PICTURES of a bong and goon bag and the words “the drunkest and the highest” are how dozens of Year 12s from a public high school plan to present themselves at schoolies.

Unley High students are coming home with the specially made T-shirts, emblazoned with the words “Unley Army” and images that also include a “shoey” — beer being poured from a shoe.

A student said about 60 of the shirts had been produced, and were selling for $30 each, while the “extremely disappointed” school said it knew nothing about them until alerted by The Advertiser.

The controversial T-shirt Unley High students have made for schoolies.

The Victorian business understood to have made the shirts said it took schoolies orders from students at up to 10 Adelaide schools a year, and they were “always about getting blind”.

One Unley mother was furious students had been able to organise the shirts at school and “shocked” when her daughter brought hers home.

“This is supposed to be one of the best public high schools in the state — one of Australia’s most premium — and it is being linked to a T-shirt advocating to get as drunk and stoned as possible? It is absolutely appalling,” she said.

“A lot of these kids aren’t even 18 yet. I know the school and the Education Department will say it’s been done independently by students, but still it is such a dangerous message and it has been orchestrated while at school. The shirts have been handed out to the kids at school. To have this as a theme is simply not good enough in 2017.”

The mother had confidence in her daughter and her friends, but the T-shirt was making her rethink the decision to let her go to Schoolies.

Print Locker Custom T-shirts director Melissa Trewella could not confirm the order but said Schoolies orders always came from Adelaide.

“They all have that kind of thing on them, every single one of them. They are always about getting blind,” she said, adding designs were almost never rejected “unless it’s swastikas or something”. The volume of orders meant it was “impossible for us to check what every shirt says”.

Unley High is opting for education rather than punishment. In a statement, principal Brenda Harris said she was “extremely disappointed to hear that a student has made an inappropriate T-shirt”.

“This is totally unacceptable and senior leaders will work with Year 12s to help students understand why this is a poor decision that reflects badly on themselves, and on the school,” she said.

“While the school does not have oversight over Schoolies, we encourage students participating in any out of school celebrations to consider their personal safety and appropriate standards of behaviour. We will also work with parents to address any concerns”.

Thousands of Year 12s will head to the Schoolies Festival at Victor Harbor, managed by Encounter Youth, in late November.

The town becomes a dry zone during the festival, which is marketed as an “alcohol and other drug free” event. The Advertiser asked Encounter Youth whether it policed clothing promoting drugs and alcohol but did not receive a response by deadline.