Walking down any hallway in Del Norte, you’ll most likely encounter security guards, cameras, and scolding teachers. You’ll find all gates locked during school hours. You might even bump into a policeman as you roam campus.
Welcome to Del Norte High Security Vault.
Clearly, the Fort Knox-esque measures have not gone unnoticed by the student body. Jessica Miceli (11) notes, “I do feel…security cameras are a little extreme…we already have yard duties and campus guards so that’s fine but I would say only cameras if there had been a big problem with our school and gangs and violence and stuff like that.”
However, the recent break-in to the school’s science department has many people reconsidering their stances. Asked his opinion on the extremeness of campus security, Nick Wong (9) replied, “Well, considering the recent science building break-in, it seems where it should be logically.”
While the break-in did rattle a few people’s psyches, it’s important to note that this is the first major event signifying campus insecurity. Mrs. Marie Galaz, our assistant principal, points out, “we haven’t had anything like that in the past.”
Break-ins and theft, however, are not uncommon on campus. Curious to know the number one item likely to be stolen? Cell phones.
“Typically the things we have stolen on campus are cell phones,” comments Galaz. “They are often stolen out of the locker room when kids don’t lock their lockers.”
Still, despite the break-in and thefts that have occurred, a sense of confidence in the integrity of the student body is apparent. School officials agree that Del Norte has been incident free on the whole for the past few years not only because of our campus security, but also because of the precedent set by the students.
The people that broke in don’t define what everyone else does, theorizes Mr. Frank Liao. “I feel just as secure as always.”