Even The Best Students Learn Hard Lessons

I know Sharma Shields only by reputation.

For many 17-year-old girls, being known by your reputation might not be the best thing.

And, when Sharma’s name appeared in the news a few days ago as the Ferris High School Lilac Princess ticketed for driving while under the influence of alcohol, her reputation undoubtedly took a hit.

She won’t be allowed to compete for the title of Spokane Lilac Queen.

She has forfeited a $1,500 college scholarship, pending the outcome of some community service work.

She did an unwise thing. She drank some beer and then drove a car.

It was illegal, it was wrong, and she got caught.

As she twists in the wind of public embarrassment, however, I think it would be well to consider what lessons, if any, can be learned from her situation.

Lesson one might be that we unfairly expect teenagers to be more perfect than they possibly can be.

Sharma Shields truly is an outstanding teenager: Lilac Princess, varsity soccer captain, homecoming queen, yearbook editor, student body president.

She’s not perfect. She drank a beer last weekend.

Dozens - no, hundreds - of other Spokane-area high school girls drank more beer and drove farther over that weekend.

But they weren’t a Lilac Princess, so their mess-ups won’t make news.

So, lesson two might be to remember that reputations aren’t built in a day and shouldn’t be knocked down in a day by one small event that hits the media.

“Sharma is an uncommon kid,” said her Ferris High School counselor, Joe Everson. “If people don’t know the real Sharma and judge her simply on this unfortunately event, that would be a big mistake.”

In the letter he wrote for Sharma when she applied to college, Everson said, “Sharma is one of the most energetic, intellectually inquisitive students I’ve ever encountered.”

Sharma gave the eulogy at the beginning of this school year for a fellow student who had committed suicide.

She was the one who chucked her prepared speech in front of the Spokane Lilac Festival judges a few weeks ago and instead wowed them by speaking passionately about the achievements of other students she had observed at the recent Chase Youth Commission awards night.

And it was Sharma, once she had been ticketed for DWI, who called her parents and the Lilac Royalty vice president to say, “I’ve got something to tell you and it’s not good news.”

Said her counselor, “Sharma is aware that what she did was a mistake and and she is taking responsibility for the consequences of her actions.”

Not many other students, or adults, show that kind of pluck. That’s the third lesson Sharma Shields has managed to give us. Unlike many of her generation, she seems to understand the importance of owning up to mistakes rather than blaming someone else for them.

Undoubtedly, her ticket will be the subject of much discussion both in school and around the town. This offers a final lesson: the world isn’t all black and white, all good or all bad.

Sharma Shields, star teenager, made a mistake. She has been given a dose of adverse consequences, been subjected to the media spotlight, and been cut some slack by the Spokane Lilac Festival organizers.

“The job description of a teenager includes making a mistake now and then,” said Ed Neunherz, executive director of the festival. “Given her outstanding record of achievement and honestly, we didn’t need the maximum penalty, and we’re standing by that decision.”

Her story warrants more than a sound bite and a quick judgment. It is the stuff of thoughtful discussion and reflection by students and adults alike.

Will that happen? In particular, will the adults cluck-clucking about Sharma Shields have the fortitude to go to their friends, neighbors and fellow parents to take on the issue of underage drinking?

Will the media consider ways to cope with complex issues with some depth?

Sharma Shields isn’t a one-dimensional poster child for all the kids in are a mix of high school, who drink or use drugs and have sex too soon.

She is a teenager who 99 percent of the time has done the right things.

Before the community rushes off and condemns her, or forgives her, it would be best to think about her - consider the whole picture of her life, the full range of pressures and opportunities for young people, and of the ways we try to deal with the problems of our times.

, DataTimes MEMO: Chris Peck is the Editor of The Spokesman-Review. His column appears each Sunday.