“06880” often highlights the remarkable achievements of Staples High School students. They accomplish spectacular things, in an awe-inspiring range of fields.
This story is not one of those.
This fall, 3 seniors applied early decision to the same elite, Ivy League-level college. (I’m not naming the school or the students. This story is less about them, than about the incident itself and the lessons learned from it.)
The 3 were classmates, not friends. But because college applications is perhaps the most-discussed topic of conversation for 12th graders, each knew about the other 2.
One boy emailed the college admissions office, suggesting a second boy was antisemitic — and included screen grabs of him holding a gun.
The first student’s email was sent from a fake account — created in the name of the third student, a girl. She knew nothing about it. But the first student’s goal was to deny early admission to both.
Alarmed by the image of the weapon, the university called their police department — and Westport’s. The WPD called the girl’s family, and came to the house to interview her.
Officers were “very respectful, polite and terrific,” the girl’s father says.
“They did not jump to any conclusions. They wanted information. They were terrific.”
The boy who had been targeted talked to police. The student who wrote the email refused their requests for an interview, the girl’s father says.
The girl — fearful that her dream school would not admit her — was upset and angry. Her parents were too.
Westport police were “very helpful” as they tried to clear her name, the girl’s father says. They went so far as to call the college.
After many days of worry, the girl was admitted. So was the boy who had also been targeted. The student who sent the email was not.
“Getting into college is so stressful for everyone, and Staples is so competitive,” the girl’s father says.
“It would be nice if students rooted for and supported each other. But we learned that student sabotage is not new. It’s happened before. So maybe kids shouldn’t tell anyone else where they’re applying.”
This story has spread throughout Fairfield County. The father has heard from a number of parents — and has heard similar stories.
“I just hope something positive comes out of this horrible situation,” he says.
“This is such a tough, toxic time for these kids. There has to be a way to make sure this never happens to anyone else.”
