Security cameras can’t protect students from themselves
A while back sophomore Leah Pennekamp bought a giant bag of mints to put in her locker and the next day the bag seems to have disappeared.“At first I thought it was no big deal, I just thought my friend Lindsey was hiding them on me,” said Pennekamp.
That very night Pennekamp drove to Wal-Mart to buy more mints. However the next day, before second block, the mints magically disappeared.
“After the second time they [the mints] were stolen I went asking my friends if it was a joke. After searching their lockers I realized that it wasn’t a joke,” said Pennekamp.
She tried many methods to keep her mints safe. Unfortunately, none of the methods were successful.
“To protect my mints from harm, I started locking my locker, but some of my friends know my combination so that plan failed,”said Pennekamp.
Many incidents like this have occured, but some are more severe. Like her mints, money and electronics have been stolen from people’s lockers. Also drugs and violence have been occuring in the high school as well.
“We want Black River Falls High School to be a great place to learn,” said Assistant Principal Mark Weddig.
He has been taking precautions to make the high school a place where students want to be.
“[I’ve been] keeping people who aren’t suppose to be here, out,” said Weddig.
To make the process more efficient, Weddig thinks installing a security system at the front doors could do just that.
“There would be a buzzer you’d have to press. Once you pressed that a camera will pop out and see who you are,” said Weddig, “Then someone will talk to you through a speaker. You’ll have to check in and get a visitor’s pass but you’re not allowed in until they buzz you in.”
However, some plans do come with road blocks.
“It’s [the security system] a budget problem, but if all goes well I hope to have it in this summer,” adds Weddig.
Another thing that’s helped keep the school safer is security cameras.
“They [the security cameras] have been tremendously helpful. They’ve given me more information than I could hope for,” states Weddig.
Sophomore Hannah Brooke slightly disagrees.
“The cameras don’t even get a view of everything, only certain areas, so it’s pretty much a waste of money,” said Brooke.
To change negative outlooks, Weddig is trying to increase school spirit hoping it will make kids more happy to be at school. One way he is doing that is by trying to reach out to eighth graders.
“We want to have an eighth grade activities fair to make the eighth graders more aware of the activities in school. We also want to have a brochure,” adds Weddig.
Weddig hopes these ideas will come to life and help keep the students safe. But the question is, will it be enough?
Chelsea Tucker • Mar 17, 2010 at 9:58 pm
I agree with Kelsey. The cameras don’t catch everything, they’re a waste. And about the school spirit thing, there’s obvious reasons why students aren’t “rah rah” for black river falls, and i think the drug testing, bomb threats, stealing, and whatever else you guys want to throw in there, is obvious enough to point that one out.
Kelsey Casper • Mar 16, 2010 at 9:34 pm
brochures? Really? What would they have on it? No offense, but some people just don’t have school spirit and there is nothing people can do about it. it’s just life. everybody’s different. And as far as making the school a “fun/safe place to be,” there is always going to be danger, we live in the real world, there’s danger around every corner, We don’t live in a Utopia! And some people will always just dislike school. No disrespect to anybody, but that too is a way of life and also needs to be accepted. So I don’t believe all this money (that our school doesn’t have) should go to all this unnecessary “stuff” (for lack of a better word) just so our school can try to do the impossible. the same goes for drug testing. why waist money when you know kids are still going to do it? if you ask me i think the school board really needs to listen to some of the students thoughts and opinions on some of these things. We have some very bright kids with good ideas who really do care and want to be heard but people wont listen. its a shame.