Despite efforts by school security and health and fitness teachers, valuables have been stolen from the Tappan gymnasium boys and girls locker rooms, usually from lockers unsecured by locks.
Thefts from these locker rooms are not a new phenomenon, according to health and fitness teacher Allyson Toney. She said all students enrolled in health and fitness classes are offered locks by the department, and she strongly encourages their use.
“It just amazes me how kids can leave cellphones, iPods, musical instruments, wallets, [and] things left out and still expect it to be there when they go back at the end of class,” Toney said.
Security aide Marianne McCarthy said she and security aide Aaron Kimbro work to protect the gymnasiums.
“We monitor the gym regularly, both me and my partner,” McCarthy said. “I’m here all day, and he’s here late into the afternoon.”
According to McCarthy, locks greatly reduce the probability of an item being stolen. She said it is rare that items secured by locks are stolen.
However, Toney said locks do not guarantee protection.
“We had another problem last spring inside the boys locker room; someone was going in with bolt cutters,” Toney said. “I don’t know who it was, and they were cutting off locks on locked lockers and then going into the locker, taking out things.”
Junior Nicky Rhodes’s locker in the main boys Tappan locker room was ripped open despite having a lock on it, although nothing was stolen.
“[The school should] make stronger lockers so they can’t be ripped out,” Rhodes said.
Previously, Rhodes had his watch, which was not secured by a lock, stolen. He said he had talked to his coach about the theft and filled out a theft report form, although neither effort resulted in the recovery of his watch. He said he has since stopped using the main boys Tappan locker room.
According to Toney, security cameras were installed approximately 12 years ago in the Tappan building.
“We had cameras in the lobby of the building that showed who was going inside the girls locker room and who was going inside the boys locker room,” Toney said. “I think there was a problem with those cameras and I’m not sure they were ever fixed and turned back on.”
McCarthy said there are currently no security cameras in the Tappan gymnasium. She said this makes keeping the building secure more difficult.
“It’s tough without cameras, I have to admit,” McCarthy said. “And it is a public building, which is the other thing. Anybody can use it.”
Sophomore Jordan Levitch, who had $150 stolen from his locker in the main school building, said he believes in using security cameras to detect thefts.
“When you think that you can trust everyone and feel really comfortable just because it’s at school, there’s always going to be some person out there that’s up to no good,” he said.
After he discovered the theft, Levitch said he reported it to the main office and filled out a form explaining his situation. He has since worked with security aide Aaron Kimbro to recover his money.
According to senior Solomon Foster, however, high security measures conflict with the school’s beliefs about freedom. Foster’s wallet and cellphone were stolen approximately a year and a half ago from the Tappan weightlifting room.
“I think that Brookline High School offers a tremendous amount of liberty, so any kind of police presence or security personnel would be not beneficial,” Foster said. “Clearly, we should live in a community in which people understand that stealing things is wrong, but people just need to take care of their things.”
According to McCarthy, students can best protect their belongings by keeping them with them.
Toney encouraged students to protect their valuable belongings by not bringing them to school.
“I really encourage them not to bring anything of great value to school. There’s no need to,” Toney said. “If they do, [they should] leave it in their dean’s office, or when they’re here with me, give it to me during the course of a period so I can watch it for them.”
Emmanuel D’Agostino can be contacted at [email protected].
