Stealing in School

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 13:59:43 GMT

By Katie Coulter

R Downey

Jackets, iPods, phones, calculators, books, money—the most popular items to steal in Pentucket High School. A few weeks ago I decided to write about the problem of theft in school, glad that I had never experienced it in my four years. Before cross-country practice started that same day I left my water bottle and the Pentucket sweatshirt that my brother had bought me the previous Christmas in the main gym, only to find it gone (water bottle remained) when I returned a mere ten minutes later. Irony isn’t always funny. “What were you thinking, leaving your sweatshirt? People steal and you have to accept that,” I heard from a friend, instead of sympathy. As it turned out, an unknown teammate had moved only my sweatshirt into the mini-gym with the rest of the girls’ XC gear. Had I not put my initials on the tag it would have been pointless to look for it. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky. Most students never get their stolen things back once they go missing. A poll of 72 under- and upperclassmen revealed that nearly 1 in every 2 has had something stolen from them in school (a 34 to 38 ratio), the majority of those being juniors and seniors. From lockless lockers and gym bags, student-thieves can find their next new item and walk away without anyone noticing. Some are left angered or upset while others blame themselves, but even more are simply left wondering why. “My digital camera and graphing calculator were both stolen freshman year,” said senior Anne-Marie Studzinski, whose losses added up to hundreds of dollars. “I didn’t believe it at first; I tore apart my room and my parents were pissed… it was naïve of me to assume it would be safe out in the open, but I played soccer then and [the gym locker] was too small for my bag.” When asked what they thought the reason for theft in school was, a number of students answered, “drug money.” These student-thieves have also been described in a comical way, being called “hooligans,” “hoodlums,” and “scoundrels” by upperclassmen who have finally accepted the unfortunate fact that in school, things can (and do) get stolen. A few examples of theft even live up to the funny way in which it’s sometimes seen. Rachael Downey, another senior, has one such story. “Freshman year I didn’t have a lock on my locker and when I got back from gym, my bag was gone. My teacher, Mr. Honer, told me I could go look around for it, and someone said they had seen it in the bathroom… Somebody stole my bag out of my locker, put it in the sink, and took only my pack of gum.” Junior Dori Sarkis had a unique, first-hand experience. “I was walking in the downstairs math hallway and casually listening to my iPod, which was in the side pocket of my backpack. Someone walked by me and just stole the iPod… but they were too stupid to realize that I was listening to it and noticed when they grabbed it,” she explained, “They took it and yanked the buds out of my ear, [I yelled, and] he dropped my iPod on the ground and left. He was wearing black and I haven’t seen him since.” In the Student Handbook, the category theft is not to be found under the content list (flip to page 33 to find its mention). As half of the student body has had something stolen from them in school, shouldn’t greater attention be given for this issue? Student-thieves may face school suspension, fines, and notification to parents and police for theft. The major dilemma, however, is that they are rarely caught. With no one to suspend and no items to be returned, the issue of stealing in school remains.

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Stealing in School