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Miramonte High School principal Julie Parks points to boarded windows that were recently broken by vandals at the school.
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Vandalism to schools and other public places is not a common occurrence in Lamorinda, but this month turned out to be a bit of an exception. Twenty windows were broken at Orinda's Miramonte High School on three different nights between March 7 and March 14, while some businesses and signs in Moraga were also damaged in the same time period.
"We have reason to believe (all the incidents) might be related," said Orinda Police Chief Mark Nagel. "Moraga police are investigating as well, and we're working together."
Helping the investigation is the use of surveillance camera footage in several locations, Nagel said. At Miramonte, a camera on the roof pointed directly at the damaged area, which included the badly trampled portion of the school community garden, said Miramonte Principal Julie Parks. The broken windows were in the science, arts and math wing, as well as one in the administrative offices.
No rocks were found in the area, "so we think someone was probably using a baseball bat or a skateboard to break the glass," said Parks. Because the glass in the windows is old - before tempered glass was typically used for public buildings - several classes had to be moved because of glass shards on the floor.
"What's really sad is the trampling of the garden," Parks said. "The students don't have that much time to work on it in the first place, because they are so busy, so this really sets them back." All the bird guards and PVC piping used to protect the gardens was broken, and seedlings and plants were trampled.
"Mainly, the students are really disappointed," Parks said. "This is a violation of their space."
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA