When entering the campus, there are often signs celebrating senior students, displaying their school activity or player number. It’s a tradition to showcase participants in the athletic programs, curricular activities and clubs.
On Wednesday, Oct. 16, posters celebrating instrumental music seniors were stolen off school grounds and vandalized. Combined, the signs cost hundreds of dollars. The vandal was not publicly named, but there was video.
“We have camera footage and a description of the individuals and vehicle,” band director Meara Mitchell, Ed.D., said.
She said the vandal or vandals took all the band signs, ripping or tearing them, then threw them into the Staley Farms neighborhood fountain near the school.
“They took them all the way to Staley Farms to dump them. I just don’t understand what they got out of it, it’s terrible for students.”
Staff and students did not understand why it happened.
“Some parents purchase those for their students. That’s a lot of money lost,” Mitchell said.
Band students were upset about the incident.
“It kind of hurts a bit,” senior Emily Henke said. “Who hates the band so much that they go out of their way to take all of those signs, and then go out of their way again to then throw them into Staley Farms fountain?”
Henke said the signs had what instrument each student played and their names.
“We were supposed to take those home,” Henke said. “We took a group band photo of all of us holding our signs before they were taken.”
The destruction didn’t stop with the signs. On Oct. 19, before leaving for a band competition, the group found their team’s trailer, in which they carry all heavier and majority of instruments, had its tires slashed and stabbed.
“It wasn’t like it had been hit or it had just popped; it was clearly slashed with a knife,” Henke said.
They were able to attach a spare tire to the slashed tire to make it to the event. Then, they had some bad luck on the way back to school.
“On the way home, another one of our tires exploded; leaving us with only three tires to drive home with since we had already used the spare,” Henke said.
Henke said she wanted consequences for whoever who did it.
“I know we have cameras all over the place,” Henke said.
The students felt targeted by both acts.
“It’s a huge deal now that they are clearly just targeting the band association,” Henke said.
