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[A story caught my attention in the local news today. Have Vampires invaded New England...again?
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New England has a long history of vampirism. Bram Stoker no less is said to have been influenced to write his novel Dracula based on the case of Mercy Brown of Essex, RI. Mercy Brown died in 1892 and hers was the last reported case of vampirism in New England. Of course, the hysteria over vampirism was unfounded and based on European folklore brought to the New World in the 1700's. What many considered vampirism was in fact the mysterious illness of consumption, which we now know as tuberculosis. Having visited the site of Mercy Brown's grave many times in Essex, I can assure you that the locals took the issue of vampirism very seriously - the rock upon which the heart of Mercy was burned after being removed from her and turned to ashes is still visible together with her crypt and family plot.
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I don't know by who or why these rumors of vampirism are spreading in America's first public school. Could it be that Boston is experiencing another small witch hunt? After all, Boston Latin was founded, at least in part, by Ezekial Cheever who was the court recorder for the Salem Witch Trials. Furthermore, one of Boston Latin's illustrious graduates includes Cotton Mather who some claim furnaced the flames of the witch hysteria in Salem through his writings and investigations. But who are the accused vampire's of Boston Latin? The article below from the Boston Globe offers some speculations, such as Goth kids who were being bullied by those who don't understand them and also there are students claiming the title of vampire for themselves. But the main issue that I find interesting here is how rumors lead to hysteria, though thankfully they have not turned to hysteria yet and hopefully will not. With the economic issues the world is facing, we really don't need some teenager stabbing another teenager with a stake in our public schools. Then who will society blame? The article already gives the clues about romanticized vampires such as those depicted in the movie Twilight and TV series True Blood. Though the most likely scapegoat will be someone in real life, such as the one who influenced those girls to dress Goth in the first place according to the article below - Marilyn Manson. Is it a coincidence that this news story leaked on the day Marilyn Manson released the first of a series of tracks off his new album The High End of Low aptly titled "We're From America". I'll have to give a review of this track next. -J.S.]
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Vampire Rumors Spur Alert At Boston Latin
By Megan Woolhouse and Maria Cramer
Boston Globe
March 27, 2009
Boston Latin School headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta issued a notice to parents and students yesterday quashing rumors of vampires at the school. An odd move for the head of a historic elite preparatory school, but Teta and Boston public school officials declined to elaborate on what triggered the unusual message.
They did, however, adamantly offer assurances that no one at the school has been hurt, arrested - or bitten.
"The headmaster believes that the outrageous rumors had reached a point where she had to say something to families to ensure that all students felt safe and respected," said Chris Horan, School Department spokesman.
While the episode sounds like something out of "Twilight," last year's hit film about a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire, it may be closer to the movie "Mean Girls."
Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the incident said a group of girls at the school had been bullying at least one other student who likes to dress in Goth-style, a vampirish look popularized by musician Marilyn Manson. The officials said the girls began spreading a rumor that the student was a vampire who had cut someone's neck and sucked the blood.
When Boston police went to the school Wednesday on an unrelated matter, their presence fueled yet another rumor: that a vampire was being arrested, according to one of the law enforcement sources.
Several students and parents of students said police officers were posted at the school's main entrance Wednesday but it was unclear why.
Eddy Chrispin, Boston Police Department spokesman, said police spoke with several students at the school Wednesday "to quell the rumor" of vampires.
"The whole thing kind of took on a life of its own," Chrispin said.
The officers determined that the situation was an internal school matter.
Horan said in reference to the rumors that when you've got "an $800 million budget and 212 layoffs, this is not really a priority."
Teta issued her notice to parents in an e-mail sent yesterday at 8 a.m.
"It has come to my attention that rumors involving 'vampires' began spreading through the building yesterday," it said.
"I am very concerned that the safety of certain students may be jeopardized as targets of rumors and speculation," she wrote. "Please alert any adult in the building if you feel that any student is being harassed or targeted."
Teta denied requests for an interview yesterday, referring all questions to the School Department spokesman. But the memo appeared to raise new questions and rounds of speculation.
One student who contacted the Globe said a male student, rumored to be a werewolf, had threatened on Facebook to bring a gun to school because he was being harassed. Other students at the school yesterday said they had heard that a student had been bitten.
John Maguire, who was picking up his 13-year-old at the school yesterday afternoon, said he didn't know there was an issue about vampire rumors until his son told him yesterday. He said he laughed it off.
"C'mon, a vampire in the school? Don't you think that's a little woo-hoo?" he said, pointing to his head.
Yet images of vampires are common in books, television programs, and movies, from "Twilight," the book series by Stephenie Meyer, to HBO's "True Blood." Susanne Toomajian, president of the Massachusetts School Psychologists Association, said middle school students might be drawn to romanticized vampire images in films like "Twilight" because they depict an outsider who finds love. But the issue is more about acceptance.
That's something "that early adolescents struggle with," she said. "The vampire themes are really ancillary to other themes of fitting in."
Students leaving Boston Latin yesterday said rumors about students claiming to be vampires, or more specifically "half-vampires," have been circulating for months. Several said two or three female students at the school carry umbrellas in all weather to avoid exposure to the sun.
Myles Friedman, a junior, said that after police appeared at the school yesterday, the rumor mill kicked into full gear. "I've never heard any rumor spread so fast."
Some at the school yesterday said they believed a student had been bitten. No one had heard about a problem with bullying.
Seventeen-year-old Davis Murphy said he heard that some students claiming to be half-vampires were draining their blood to make their skin paler or had claimed they could fly.
"No one bullies them," he said, laughing. "We just want to know why they're vampires."
Victoria Browne, a senior, said many of the rumors are so outrageous they make older students laugh.
"[I] heard people were biting people, but that vampires only bite the willing," she said with a smile.
Browne, who has been involved with the school's antibullying campaign, said she had not heard any reports of bullying.
In recent years, public schools have attempted to crack down on bullying because of its link to teen depression and suicide. Boston Latin has taken steps to make sure all students feel comfortable, she said.
"There's no bullying here," Browne said. "It's just that everybody is really weirded out."
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com. Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Vampire Rumors Spur Alert At Boston Latin
By Megan Woolhouse and Maria Cramer
Boston Globe
March 27, 2009
Boston Latin School headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta issued a notice to parents and students yesterday quashing rumors of vampires at the school. An odd move for the head of a historic elite preparatory school, but Teta and Boston public school officials declined to elaborate on what triggered the unusual message.
They did, however, adamantly offer assurances that no one at the school has been hurt, arrested - or bitten.
"The headmaster believes that the outrageous rumors had reached a point where she had to say something to families to ensure that all students felt safe and respected," said Chris Horan, School Department spokesman.
While the episode sounds like something out of "Twilight," last year's hit film about a high school girl who falls in love with a vampire, it may be closer to the movie "Mean Girls."
Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the incident said a group of girls at the school had been bullying at least one other student who likes to dress in Goth-style, a vampirish look popularized by musician Marilyn Manson. The officials said the girls began spreading a rumor that the student was a vampire who had cut someone's neck and sucked the blood.
When Boston police went to the school Wednesday on an unrelated matter, their presence fueled yet another rumor: that a vampire was being arrested, according to one of the law enforcement sources.
Several students and parents of students said police officers were posted at the school's main entrance Wednesday but it was unclear why.
Eddy Chrispin, Boston Police Department spokesman, said police spoke with several students at the school Wednesday "to quell the rumor" of vampires.
"The whole thing kind of took on a life of its own," Chrispin said.
The officers determined that the situation was an internal school matter.
Horan said in reference to the rumors that when you've got "an $800 million budget and 212 layoffs, this is not really a priority."
Teta issued her notice to parents in an e-mail sent yesterday at 8 a.m.
"It has come to my attention that rumors involving 'vampires' began spreading through the building yesterday," it said.
"I am very concerned that the safety of certain students may be jeopardized as targets of rumors and speculation," she wrote. "Please alert any adult in the building if you feel that any student is being harassed or targeted."
Teta denied requests for an interview yesterday, referring all questions to the School Department spokesman. But the memo appeared to raise new questions and rounds of speculation.
One student who contacted the Globe said a male student, rumored to be a werewolf, had threatened on Facebook to bring a gun to school because he was being harassed. Other students at the school yesterday said they had heard that a student had been bitten.
John Maguire, who was picking up his 13-year-old at the school yesterday afternoon, said he didn't know there was an issue about vampire rumors until his son told him yesterday. He said he laughed it off.
"C'mon, a vampire in the school? Don't you think that's a little woo-hoo?" he said, pointing to his head.
Yet images of vampires are common in books, television programs, and movies, from "Twilight," the book series by Stephenie Meyer, to HBO's "True Blood." Susanne Toomajian, president of the Massachusetts School Psychologists Association, said middle school students might be drawn to romanticized vampire images in films like "Twilight" because they depict an outsider who finds love. But the issue is more about acceptance.
That's something "that early adolescents struggle with," she said. "The vampire themes are really ancillary to other themes of fitting in."
Students leaving Boston Latin yesterday said rumors about students claiming to be vampires, or more specifically "half-vampires," have been circulating for months. Several said two or three female students at the school carry umbrellas in all weather to avoid exposure to the sun.
Myles Friedman, a junior, said that after police appeared at the school yesterday, the rumor mill kicked into full gear. "I've never heard any rumor spread so fast."
Some at the school yesterday said they believed a student had been bitten. No one had heard about a problem with bullying.
Seventeen-year-old Davis Murphy said he heard that some students claiming to be half-vampires were draining their blood to make their skin paler or had claimed they could fly.
"No one bullies them," he said, laughing. "We just want to know why they're vampires."
Victoria Browne, a senior, said many of the rumors are so outrageous they make older students laugh.
"[I] heard people were biting people, but that vampires only bite the willing," she said with a smile.
Browne, who has been involved with the school's antibullying campaign, said she had not heard any reports of bullying.
In recent years, public schools have attempted to crack down on bullying because of its link to teen depression and suicide. Boston Latin has taken steps to make sure all students feel comfortable, she said.
"There's no bullying here," Browne said. "It's just that everybody is really weirded out."
Megan Woolhouse can be reached at mwoolhouse@globe.com. Maria Cramer can be reached at mcramer@globe.com.
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