Vandalism sucks, especially when school property is targeted.
Just ask Clear Lake Elementary Principal Suzanne Hannatt. On November 8, she discovered both of the school’s brand new soccer nets were vandalized.
‘It’s just very disappointing,? Hannatt said.
What makes matters worse is that two members on Clear Lake’s Student Council, fifth graders Trevor Speed and Jacob Sharp, were the ones who put in the time and effort to bring the new soccer goals to the playground.
Now they are unable to be used.
According to Hannatt, she came to work that Monday and noticed one of the nets had been pulled up and appeared to have been dragged across the school grounds to the fence area.
A piece was also discovered to be broken off of the top of the goal.
‘I don’t know if they were trying to remove it from the grounds because it was at the back of the field closer to the sub,? she said.
‘It was just left there damaged,? she added.
She then proceeded to drive back and check the other post and discovered it was twisted as well. She called the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department and made a report.
How Clear Lake got the goal posts is something that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Both Speed and Sharp voiced their concerns to Hannatt about having to share the soccer field with students who wanted to play football — they used the soccer nets as goal posts.
‘I gave them the opportunity to see what suggestions they could come up with,? Hannatt said. Their suggestion was getting another set of nets.
‘They came back to me and thought about calling parks and rec; they thought about calling the athletic director and they thought about buying new ones,? she added.
After checking to see if there were any extra soccer nets available, both Speed and Sharp researched where to buy new goal posts.
‘They actually did the sales call. When it came to the financing I did the talking. The boys constructed their questions and talked with the company,? Hannatt said. ‘They also oversaw the company when they did come out here to put the nets up.?
Hannatt was proud of the boys.
‘It was very nice thing to see them take the initiative to solve it, have to path to follow it and see it through,? she said.