We usually refrain from writing articles about other schools; however, this needed to be exposed.

So here’s the skinny: three Gaithersburg High School students are currently facing criminal charges for indecent exposure after streaking at a pep rally last month. Students at Gaithersburg claim that streaking at the first pep rally is a tradition, and yet this is the first year that the culprits have been punished this severely.

Two streakers and a getaway driver decided to make the first pep rally go out with a bang. But as soon as the boys ran wild, police enforcements were called in, without a word of warning from administration. School officials claim that the police needed to be called because indecent exposure is illegal, and there would be no ifs, ands, or but(t)s about it. All three boys were taken, however, despite the fact that only two of them were indecently exposed.

Gaithersburg students are responding in anger, with talk of having a school-wide protest in their classmates’ defense. The name of the Trojans should not be libeled from one playful incident, they claim.

And we agree—getting the police involved was completely unnecessary. The act was harmless. Aside from their bare bodies, nothing lewd or provocative was expressed. Let kids act like kids, for once. This is not to say that they should get off with the bare minimum punishment, but have the administration do their job and penalize as they see fit. There is no need to have the lives and reputations of three boys irreparably damaged for one harmless, playful indiscretion.

Jail is a place for murderers, rapists and dog fighters—all these boys did is strut their stuff. Now, we are not saying that showing off your birthday suit is acceptable at all occasions. But it is harmless. Every man, woman and child knows what the human form looks like. The prank was not done maliciously; it was done for the sake of school spirit.

So we are asking for a little compassion. These boys barely did anything wrong. Please do not strip them of their dignity.