A group of unknown vandals broke into Oxford Middle School Sunday, Oct. 21 and damaged costumes and props belonging to the Drama Club.
‘It’s just sad. It really is,? said Jack Gray, a sixth-grade language arts teacher who serves as the club’s advisor.
‘We have some leads,? said OMS Principal Ken Weaver. ‘We think they might have been former students.?
Based on the amount of damage and the ‘short time? in which it was perpetrated, Weaver said they believe more than one person was responsible.
It appears the vandals broke into the school around 3 p.m. through a pair of gymnasium doors with a reputation of being easy to open from the outside if pushed hard enough. ‘We’ve had them fixed quite a few times and we’re having them fixed again,? Weaver said.
The vandals took a fire extinguisher that emits a dry chemical powder and sprayed it all over the stage in the Commons Area and all over the costumes and props inside the Drama Club’s backstage scene shop.
‘They really went to town with it,? Gray said. ‘Everything was coated in a fine powder.?
As a result of the damage, Gray estimated about 25 percent of the costumes and props had to be pitched into the trash because they couldn’t be salvaged.
Everything else inside the scene shop had to be thoroughly washed and cleaned. ‘It’s really pathetic,? Gray said. ‘Just depressing.?
The vandals also got into an unlocked display case outside music teacher Jan Flynn’s classroom. Photographs once proudly displayed in the showcase were carelessly tossed in the trash. A trophy awarded by the Michigan Association of School Boards to Flynn’s drumming program for ‘education excellence? was broken.
‘It was apparent that it had been thrown against a wall or something to damage it so much,? Flynn said. ‘I just felt violated. Why does someone have to be so destructive or so malicious??
This malicious destruction couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Drama Club which was in the midst of preparing to conduct a haunted house fund-raiser Oct. 25.
‘It was going to be a haunted fairy tale, now it’s just a haunted house because we can’t use any of that stuff,? said Gray, referring to damaged costumes and props from the club’s March 2006 comedic play ‘Fairy Tale Courtroom.?
Gray said the ‘great irony? is these vandals were ‘trying to get a rise out of somebody? and they ‘don’t even get to see it.?
He believes if the vandals were to see ‘what the actual outcome? of their senseless actions was, ‘I don’t think anybody would ever do this kind of thing.?
‘It’s clearly a case of not understanding consequences,? Gray said. ‘That’s something I think is lacking in our society, unfortunately.?
In the spirit of ‘the show must go on,? Drama Club members and parents banded together and put on the haunted house fund-raiser, which ended up being a raging success as it generated $300.
Gray noted the Drama Club can ill afford to have their costumes and props damaged because it receives no money from the school district.
‘We are completely funded by whatever money we bring in (via plays and donations),? he said. ‘There’s no money in the budget for us.?
Right now, Gray is asking people in the community to donate their old costumes (Halloween or otherwise) to the Drama Club.
‘We’re looking for stuff that’s in the small adult to large child (size) range,? he said.
The club is also looking for people to donate stuff that can be used as props.
‘Anything you think would be good in a play, we’d be more than happy to take it? Gray said.
Those wishing to donate to the Drama Club can contact Gray at (248) 969-1800/extension 1610 or via e-mail at grayj01@oxford.k12.mi.us.