The Long Unanswered Question: What Really Happens at Beach Week?

In a question and answer session held on January 23, at Walter Johnson, parents raised their concerns and Delaware police officers provided their opinion on the “real” Beach Week story.  

During the meeting, one Delaware Beach police officer talked about the horrors and worst case scenarios of what could really happen: “It’s not the simple underage drinking, possession of marijuana, curfew violation, it’s the one step out into that highway and you get smacked by a car because of a DUI driver, it’s the ‘I’m going to go skinny dipping’ at 2 in the morning and the riptide takes you out and there’s no lifeboats out there to save you.”

The officer took a direct approach of telling the parents and students that drugs, alcohol, and being arrested are simply the bare minimum that can happen at Beach Week. There is much more at stake when it comes to this high school tradition. 

The infamous high school tradition of beach week raises many concerns from not only parents, but also police and first responders. Beach Week usually occurs in the weeks following High School graduation. Seniors rent a house at the beach with their friends, or just down the street. They spend the week going to the beach, hanging out, and partying. It’s seen as a final, cumulative social event before everyone goes their own ways. 

This “fun in the sun” week tends to come with an endless cycle of alcohol and handfuls of drugs. While this is seen as the highlight of high school, the trip comes with many concerns for obvious reasons. 

Many B-CC seniors plan on attending their Beach Week in Corolla, North Carolina this June.