Sturgeon Heights School’s outdoor classroom wasn’t the serene space it used to be when teachers came upon it in mid-October.
Cigarette packages, butts and condoms littered the sacred space cut out in the trees on the northeast side of the school yard, a wooden bench was broken and marked with graffiti.
This is was the third incident of vandalism since September.
“This year the frequency of the garbage and the nature of the language (of the graffiti) was stepping up,” said Sturgeon Heights principal Jonathan Konrad.
The marker graffiti left on one of the wooden benches read, “Whoever keeps cleaning up this classroom is wasting your time that could have been better spent smoking weed.”
The outdoor classroom – an area with picnic tables and benches that connects to the school’s Learning Garden – was built three years ago to bring student learning outside the traditional classroom.
Konrad noted that since the vandalism incidents, the outdoor classroom has seen less usage as school staff have been asked to check out the space first to ensure the area is free, clear and safe.
He noted staff have never come across the vandals, who most likely visit the area in the evenings or on weekends. There have been no vandalism incidents during school hours.
“The kids have not come upon the vandalism or the garbage. We have been very careful to keep our kids safe,” added Konrad.
After October’s incident, the issue was brought to parent council. They discussed purchasing lights and a motion sensitive camera to deter vandals.
“We’re considering those,” acknowledged Konrad. “I’m looking at costs and parents are looking into ways to getting those costs covered.”
The school sent a notice to students and parents, asking the residents of nearby neighborhoods to be on the lookout for nighttime activity on school property.
“The neighbourhoods of North Ridge are adjacent and Deer Ridge across the street. We are hoping that the larger community will take notice and try to reclaim their space by informing the RCMP or Sturgeon Heights school authorities if any suspicious behaviour is noticed after school hours and/or on weekends,” read the letter.
“There is no reason for any school people to be in there at night. If they notice a group in there, they shouldn’t be in there,” said Konrad.
The vandalism to the outdoor classroom has since been cleaned up, benches rebuilt and painted. Konrad said the importance of curbing vandalism is less about the monetary value of the damage, but more importantly creating a safe space.
“It has a lot more to do with feeling safe in the area and keeping it right for the kids. Let’s be respectful.”
Cpl. Laurel Kading with St. Albert RCMP said graffiti is a concern in the city and how people can help is by reporting it.
“We need to be aware of all the incidents and try and see if we can do anything about it,” she said, adding reporting is particularly helpful when determining crime trends in specific neighborhoods.
She said one thing RCMP do in vandalism cases like this is look at the outdoor classroom from a “crime prevention through environmental design” point of view.
“Are there things that could be done to this outdoor classroom to make it less attractive to whoever is using it inappropriately?”
People can report vandalism and other types of crime to the St. Albert RCMP’s 24-hour complaint line: 780-458-7700.
