Theft hits the boys locker room — again

May 19 seemed like it would be a typical even-block period day for sophomore Ryan Chen.  As he walked out of the boys locker room from his fourth period physical education class, he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.  But by the time his sixth period math class started, he realized he was missing something — his iPod Touch.



Chen realized that he, along with others in his PE period, had been a victim of theft.  His is not an isolated case; according to physical education teacher Jeff Thomas, the department receives one to two weekly reports of items stolen from the locker room.



The root of the problem?  Possessions are stolen when they are not locked up, and many students fail to do just that.  A typical locker room setting during class hosts unlocked combination locks, open lockers and cluttered rows of backpacks and clothes.



"We tell [students] to lock up their backpacks, we tell them not to bring stuff to PE and not to leave anything out, and they still do it," physical education teacher Julie Sullivan said.  "You could just walk by a backpack and take somebody's cell [phone]… it's insane."



The reason behind lack of precaution and ownership?



"I thought [MVHS] was a place where no one would steal," Chen said.  "It's not as safe of a school [as] I thought."



Though teachers lock the doors of the locker room every class period and advise against bringing valuables to school, they have few other safeguards to offer.



"There's no magical answer," Thomas said.  "Just lock your stuff and it won't get stolen."

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