Our Pyrrhic Victory

Mr. Dorsey summoned a representative group of teachers and students leaders to his office in order to elicit their reactions to the suspension of the football captain. He told them cheating was a pernicious disease that could not be tolerated at our school. He loathed having to discipline Art Krause so severely, but unless strict measures were taken, the student body would construe the incident as an open invitation to cheat with impunity. “We may lose a football game,” the principal said, “but we can salvage our self-respect.”

Pyrrhic adj. (of a victory) won at a too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor.

Elicit v. To call forth, draw forth

Pernicious adj. harmful, causing injury

Construe v. To infer

Impunity n. Freedom from punishment

Salvage v. save from ruin

Mr. Dorsey called a representative group of teachers and students leaders to his office in order to draw forth their reactions to the suspension of the football captain. In the meeting, he told them that cheating was a harmful disease which could not be accepted at our school. He hated to discipline Art Krause so severely. He also said that unless strict measure were taken, the student body would come to the conclusion that cheating was fine and will not be punished. The principal said, “we may lose a football game, but we can maintain our self-respect.”