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Students band together in fight against broken windows, graffiti

Minnekhada middle may not have the best looking school building in the district but its principal, staff and students are tired of it being targeted by vandals.

Minnekhada middle may not have the best looking school building in the district but its principal, staff and students are tired of it being targeted by vandals.

But instead of getting angry, Darren Macmillan and members of his leadership team want to start a dialogue with the community - teens, adults and anyone else who will listen. They want people to know that Minnekhada is a great school and that when windows are broken and walls are marked by felt pen and spray paint, morale drops and people feel disheartened.

"I think it starts to hurt the morale of the students and the teachers when they know it's not being treated well on the outside," Macmillan said.

In the last several weeks, the school has been hit with a spate of vandalism not seen since the start of the last decade, when annual repair costs spiked to $90,000. Since January, 27 windows have been broken at the school and there have been several incidents of graffiti, as well.

Macmillan said garbage has also been strewn around and several fires were lit on the school field one night.

He's going door-knocking over the next few weeks to encourage residents to call Vandal Watch if they see problems and letting them know it's not Minnekhada kids doing the damage.

As well, Macmillan said he has been making connections with other teens in the area asking them to respect school property and telling them that programs for students suffer when money has to be redirected into repairing vandalism damage.

"I think they get that, they understand that message," Macmillan said.

He was also planning to send a notice home today (Friday) with students encouraging area residents to call the Vandal Watch anonymous tip line at 604-927-7600 if they see trouble brewing. Through an arrangement with School District 43 and the city of Port Coquitlam, Vandal Watch will send Intercon Security patrols to the school.

"That's where Vandal Watch comes in. That's the time to phone, when you see it's getting out of control," said Macmillan.

Students are also getting involved through pride assemblies and anti-bullying programs that stress the importance of making connections with people - and Macmillan said he's trying to set an example.

Part of the problem may be the location of the school, across from Hyde Creek community centre and next to a large field and lacrosse box, which have been gathering places for teens for years. Macmillan said the school has a courtyard that is such a popular hangout.

"We should sell tickets," he said, adding that as long as people treat the property with respect, he doesn't mind if kids want to hang out.

He hopes to get that message out as he makes his rounds of the neighbourhood in the next few weeks. He would like a place where kids would be allowed to experiment with graffiti. A similar project was initiated a few years ago but was disbanded.

"If you yell and scream at them, they just fight more," Macmillan said.

Not only is it important to stop vandalism for money and morale reasons, but Macmillan wants the school to be more of a community resource. It's already open several days a week to community groups and the Learning Disabilities Association for programs.

He's worried community pride will suffer if vandalism continues and people will stop coming to programs at the school

A positive approach, on the other hand, could encourage the neighbourhood - including older teens and local students - to be more protective of the school.

"What we're trying to do is empower them," he said. "This is the positive message."

dstrandberg@tricitynews.com