Vandalism hits campus over Martin Luther King Day weekend
Raindrops were not the only things striking classrooms this weekend. Trails of yolk and broken eggshells were discovered on the second-story A-building walls on the morning of Jan. 19 — evidence of weekend vandalism attacks.
Since only the classrooms facing the faculty parking lot were defaced, teachers and administrators speculated that the perpetrators stood in the parking lot and threw the eggs up to the second story. After Spanish teacher Maria Autran made the initial discovery and report, the buildings were promptly cleaned by the custodial staff before 2 p.m. on the same day.
Following general procedure, the administration would file a report and involve the sheriff department. Currently, the identity and motives of the offenders could only be speculated . The possibilities range from students to rival schools.
"I think it’s maybe some kids are just frustrated [about their grades in my class], and this is the only way he or she found to… get back at me," Autran said.
The walls of Autran’s classroom, A207, were some of the most severely attacked spots.
The walls of Autran’s classroom, A207, were some of the most severely attacked spots.
According to campus supervisor Ruben Delgado, vandalism attacks happen every two to three years. The recent egging attack is preceded by a graffitti incident during mid-year break.
"As a school, we’re pretty lucky we don’t get hit too much," Assistant Principal Brad Metheany said. "You go to any school, it’s going to have these issues, some more than others. Ours is less than others."
Delgado and Metheany attribute the limited amount of vandalism to custodial staff and students.
"Graffitti itself and vandalism itself begat other graffitting and vandalism, and it’s one of the reasons why we clean it up right away," Metheany said. "Students help us out more than anything else when they take ownership of their school… and they bring information to us because they value their school and they value what’s here."
"What really amazes me is that you know [students] don’t just take pride in activities at this school, they take pride in the school," Delgado said.
Any known information concerning the vandalism should be reported to administration as soon as possible. Check back on elestoque.org as this story develops.
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