Hats off to Superintendent Robert Ervin and the school administration for doing the right thing concerning the recent T-shirt situation at Bangor High School. My wife and I recently moved to Bangor from Indiana. There I was involved in education for 30 years.

As dean of students at a Bangor-sized high school, I know these are difficult situations. While this student did not commit a terrible crime, he did violate the school’s policy about obscenity. That policy is a reflection of the beliefs and values of the community in which that school is located.

My advice to this young man and his friends is, forget about looking at ways to circumvent the system and escape the responsibility for one’s actions. Rather, try to learn a valuable lesson about life. Grab the dictionary and look up the words honesty, integrity, trust and decency. These were values that were violated in this situation.

Education has many faces; it is much more than academics, or sports, or extracurricular activities. It is about learning to be tomorrow’s honest, decent and responsible neighbors, citizens and leaders.

I am glad that the Bangor school system has set high expectations for both academics and behavior and is committed to achieving those expectations.

James Wilhelm

Bangor