Dhilan Lavu ’21, Michael Zhou ’21, Peter Woodville ’21:
During AIS Day, rumors circulated around the EA campus about an alleged vandalism incident which occurred on the school courtyard, as well as in the squash court facilities. Word spread that three AIS girls had broken the glass walls of the squash courts and written messages as retaliation for the outcome of AIS Day. However, AIS girls were not the true culprits. After reviewing camera footage, Head of School Security, Joe Shanahan, was able to review what exactly happened on that day.
He explains, “video footage shows a father enter the squash courts with his young son. I can see the young boy bend down and pick up an item right where the vandalism occurred and appear to draw in that area. Later on, I can see the father having a concerned discussion with the young boy.”
Photo Courtesy of Jessica Brady ’18
According to Shanahan, the child in the video was approximately three years old. He later went on to add that as a father himself, he can personally attest to how easily young children can cause a great deal of trouble in a short amount of time, especially when the parent in question is distracted.
Upon hearing about this news, EA students shared their opinions. When the students first heard of the rumors, they were in shock as well as thoroughly disappointed. Vince Vento ‘21, said at the time, “If that happened, I would probably feel disappointed because I’d expect a fellow Inter-Ac school to behave better.” Chad Kemmerer ‘21, shared similar feelings, explaining, “I’d feel very disrespected.”
Luckily for them and other worried students, the alleged crime was much more innocent than previously believed, and no malicious intent was involved. EA’s victory over AIS, as well as the overall competitive atmosphere during that entire week, may have helped perpetuate the rumors.
Vandalism is much more dramatic and enticing to talk about, especially at a school where ethics and morality are stressed as a part of the mission statement. Despite there still being a violation of school property, students were relieved to find out that there was no major damage done and that the situation was cleared up. As Shanahan put it, “I think in this case we should be able to remove the marker and all will be right in the EA world once again.”