Dededo schools broken into over weekend

by Krystal Paco

Guam - The rash of school breakins continues with a pair of schools just down the street from one another. School faculty and staff call out to the community to help stop the crime on campus. Wettengel Elementary School and Vicente Benavente Middle School, both in Dededo, were broken into this weekend.

Affected areas included Wettengel's main office and five classrooms at BMS. As the Guam Police Department Crime Lab continues to investigate the sites, school administrators address their growing frustrations on the repeat acts of vandalism, but more importantly the need for the community to contribute to keeping the schools safe.

For BMS Assistant Principal Silvino Quinene, this is the third break-in in the last three months. He said, "This is something we need to solve at all levels, not just within the personnel here. It has to be something the community values as well and the value of the school."

Wettengel principal Melissa Limo said, "We just need to be more vigilant in trying to talk to the public about that this hurts the school and the students. It's taking away mostly from the students; they should really consider that they're taking away from the students and the community as well."

According to Speaker Judi Won Pat, chairperson of the Legislative Committee on Education, a roundtable discussion is scheduled for tomorrow night to address the rash of school breakins. "What we want to do is really look into what's happening to our school facilities because we are spending money and not just resources," she detailed. "We want to see what's available out there what's most feasible that the community can come together to try to stop this rash of vandalism and breakins to our schools."

All are invited to tomorrow's roundtable discussion on school security at the Guam Legislature's Public Hearing Room at 6pm in Hagatna.