Prior to receiving a pie in the face Friday, Nov. 20, Sedona Red Rock High School Assistant Principal Deana DeWitt — who, along with Principal Darrin Karuzas, counseling secretary Teresa Lamparter and humanities teacher and swim team coach A. Jay Bronson had agreed to the public stunt — sat down to address a few questions of concern to the community.
“I can say, however, that I possess no fear whatsoever of being ‘pied.'”
Q: Many people don’t know that it’s possible to sustain a pretty bad injury by being hit with a pie. Are you fearful that you might become hurt? Another interesting fact: At least a dozen clowns are admitted to the hospital each year due to pie-related injuries. Do you think that your stunt might downplay the very serious issue of clown injuries?
DeWitt: Your questions seem to highlight the negative aspect of “pie-in-the-face” events and only relate to those events involving clowns, a very limited population in terms of those delivering and receiving pies in the face. As I am not a clown, nor do I have intimate knowledge of others who are clowns, particularly those who might have been injured during a pie-in-the-face event, it is difficult for me to comment on that experience.
I can say, however, that I possess no fear whatsoever of being “pied.” In fact, I can only assume that at least a few of the injuries you have referred to may have been the result of malice by a rogue clown or two who wished to cause injury — likely because of feelings of inferiority or jealousy — but, again, this is only speculation on my part.
Q: Are you afraid that this display might inspire food fights and other food-related incidents in the school?
DeWitt: In our situation, the pie-in-the-face event puts the “fun” in fundraising and pays homage to the rich history of the spectacle in the name of comic relief for our amazing students. These young people have committed their donations to purchase iPods in order to improve the lives of dementia patients through music therapy.
Q: Do you think the prospect of getting to pie administrators and teachers in the face inspired the students? Do you think this might be a viable way for SRRHS — or even other local organizations — to raise more funds?
DeWitt: SRRHS is proud of our pie-in-the-face event and all of its positive aspects. Pie-in-the-face has been an effective way to engage our school community in a very meaningful endeavor and reinforce the faculty’s commitment to the cause. We are certainly not the first to successfully use pie-in-the-face events to raise money for charitable causes.
To read the full story, see the Wednesday, Nov. 25, edition of the Sedona Red Rock News.
