It is a tradition that started out many years ago with all good intentions. A scavenger hunt organized independently by students in their senior year, held the night before a holiday. It is better known as "Midnight Madness" and most of the students in Roslyn High School are aware of it although not all participate.

The concept is typical of most scavenger hunts; a list of items is given out and from 10 p.m. till midnight the contestants charge out in their beautiful cars in search of their kitty. But somewhere along the line the rules have changed. The stakes are higher. Now there is money involved. Big money. Almost $2,000 is anted up and split between the winners. It seems like a pretty good deal. Almost $2,000 for collecting things like a cowboy hat, a Florida license plate and the McDonald's dollar menu. There is even an interesting trivia section where teens can earn points by providing information like the chemical symbol for lead and the author of The Tropic of Cancer.

Sounds harmless, right? Well, not exactly. The rules seem to have changed a little. Now there is sex involved. Sex with witnesses and other sexual acts too explicit to list. Students also receive points for rolling the best marijuana joint, for getting an eighth grader to chug a beer in less than a minute (bonus points if they're topless) and for freshman striptease acts. Bonus points come in all forms in this "harmless" little game but the easiest way to score these extra points is by involving underclassmen. All of this is to be witnessed and confirmed by a panel of five judges. Scary, right? Wait, it gets worse.

The facts in this scavenger hunt are few and far between as the code of silence among adolescents is intrinsic. But there have been leaks. Many leaks.

What is truly frightening about all of this is that an adult like myself did not find this out eavesdropping over a slice of pizza at Pirandello's. I found it out from other parents. Other parents whose children were involved. Parents who let their children go out at midnight on a hell-bent dangerous race to see who could score the most points as fast as possible without killing themselves or others in a car wreck. Parents who have turned a blind eye by insisting that their children are involved but would never do any of the 'bad' things on the list. Parents who raced home that evening for fear of being on the road when it all began, but felt no responsibility because their teen was not driving that night. This story is rocking the town of Roslyn to its core. Parents are in tears and their children are begging them to stay out of it. These children fear retaliation and abuse from the hooligans involved in this obscenity, which is quite understandable.

But the alarming thing is the impregnable coterie of the parents in the know who are insisting that other parents not get involved and to "just let it go." Well, I have news for them...that is not going to happen. The phone lines are starting to burn up because the rumors of this atrocity have reached a feverish pitch and parents are demanding to know just what exactly went on that night. More importantly, they want to know exactly what they can do to prevent this scavenger hunt of sorts from ever happening again.

Some traditions are meant to endure. This one has crossed a moral line that demands that it must discontinue immediately. This can only be done if the parents in this town acknowledge that this problem does truly exist. Most parents think this was all in good fun and attribute the rumors of the unfortunate sexual promiscuity as nonsense. I have seen this list and it names names. Names of children asked to do unspeakable things. And whether or not these children carried out their tasks, the fact that these atrocious requests were even made is enough to make any parent countermand this yearly rite of passage once and for all.

The administration of the high school has been made aware of this problem and lest you think to point the finger in their direction let me remind you that out of almost 1,000 students you have less than 200 "scavengers" spoiling this fine soup for everyone else. This is an event that takes place off campus well after hours and that effectively eliminates the high school's control over this hideous game. Yet they are still not letting this lie. The administration is actively seeking help from parents to clean up this mess. On the night in question the school informed the police of the impending activities and the police searched cars and questioned teens but were powerless to follow them all without cause. I wonder how many of these parents attempted to follow through with their concerns on that night?

Roslyn is a good town - a truly good town with a great school and many wonderful children who will go on to do great things because of the tremendous education they have been given and the great sense of community that it provides. However, the school and the community can only do so much to control these outside influences. Parents in this day and age do not have the luxury of becoming best buddies with their children. They have an obligation to protect them from themselves at all costs. If your kids don't like you for it, tough! It's your job. A job they will respect you for when they are adults. If you were unaware of this "midnight madness" before, consider yourself educated and make a stand in your community to enlighten others and prevent any repeat performances. Any parent who knowingly lets their children participate in such a vulgar and dangerous activity is an utter disgrace - a disgrace to our children and a disgrace to the fine town that is Roslyn.

Annie Mc Nelis