The mural in the cafeteria vandalised by people chipping away paint. Photo by Grace Gamba - 1
Walking the halls of GSHS. one sees paint chipped off murals, bathroom signs replaced with profane handwritten labels and other small but acts of vandalism in a new school. In spite of the security cameras, these incidents of vandalism at GSHS have left billboards, art work and bathrooms bearing the marks of petty vandals.
“It happens every year,” Assistant Principal Gayla Rowe said. “The worst thing we are having to deal with this year is vandalism in the bathrooms and people taking down signs, which are expensive but still need to be replaced.” Rowe added, “The student of the month [was vandalized]. They were drawing things on people’s faces.”
Senior Hannah Beckler also fell victim to the whims of petty vandals. “Part of Cass Robison’s and my mural was vandalized. People chipping paint off the wall,” Beckler said.
Art teacher John Linn, whose students’ self-portraits were vandalized, offered his thoery of why his students’ art was drawn on. “I chalk it up to the fact that they were portraits. Kids see a face and they have to draw on it. The same thing happened to the student of the month photos,” Linn said.
The administration plans to stop the defacing of GSHS. art and property. “We are talking about getting Plexiglas covers,” Rowe said. Covers would protect signs and billboards from the marks of student vandals.
Rowe confirmed that the security cameras in the cafeteria and the halls have been helpful in catching vandals. “Where we do have cameras, we’ve stopped theft and vandalism, and I shouldn’t say a lot, but some other things as well.”
Whether or not more cameras will be installed remains to be seen. Yet the vandalism problem remains a source of irritation for many students particularly those whose art was marred . “It’s definitely frustrating. It’s definitely disrespectful to our art and the work we put into it,” said Beckler.