Four students’ laptops were stolen from the music room during the middle- and high-school band concert on April 27.
The victims were senior Sydney Michel, junior Fred Xu and sophomores Katia and Annya Dahmani.
According to Katia and Xu, the music room (located in between the teachers’ lounge and the MP Room) was unlocked for only half of the concert.
Around 8:30, the students returned from the MP Room, where the concert was located, to the music room, where they’d left their backpacks.
Xu was the first to discover his laptop was missing.
“I thought someone from school thought that I left my laptop,” Xu said, “so maybe they put it in the library (in librarian Joanne Melinson’s office) or the front office.”
Katia thought the same thing when she first returned home.
“But then Annya told me she didn’t have her laptop,” Katia said. “And on the way home, she told me she thought she left her laptop in the music room.
“(Then) we came to the conclusion that all of our laptops were stolen.”
When she couldn’t find her laptop, Michel realized what had happened.
“Annya and Katia called me and told me that they couldn’t find their computers either,” Michel said. “Then Fred couldn’t either, and then I finally connected the dots.”
The next morning, Xu searched for his computer in the library.
Xu learned that others had lost their computers as well and went to ask Patricia Jacobsen, dean of student life, and Tom Wroten, director of technology, if they could fix the problem.
Their only solution was to use the Find My Mac feature.
“They’re trying to track it,” Xu said, “but if it isn’t connected to the internet they won’t be able to.”
“I hope they can find it,” Xu said, “but that’s unlikely. Unless of course it’s a prank, but I don’t think anyone here would do that.”
The cost of the computers isn’t the only loss.
“I have all my school-related work on it,” Annya said, “and all my notes and homework.
“I have to redo some homework that was due today (April 28) because it was on my computer.”
Not all students are affected by the loss of information. Xu takes his notes on Google Docs, which he can access from his phone and other computers.
Other valuables besides the laptops that were in the music room were not stolen.
“I don’t really understand why the person who stole it didn’t take anything else that was in the room (like) our wallets, cellphones (or) TI-89’s,” Annya said.
“I had my laptop in my backpack,” Katia said, “but only my laptop was taken, even though I had my Louis Vuitton wallet, Raybans and Beats (by Doctor Dre) headphones in my backpack.”
“I left my AP European History book and laptop in the music room because that’s where they tell us to leave all of our stuff,” Michel said. “My phone was out too.”
Only Xu’s TI-89 was stolen, since it was inside of his computer case (along with an empty checkbook).
“It’s just weird (that our computers were stolen) because we always keep our stuff in the music room,” Katia said, “and (we) are encouraged to put our belongings in there too during performances.”
The music room, along with most other buildings on campus, is seen as a secure place to leave expensive things.
“There’s a spoken and unspoken assumption that rooms on campus are safe,” Katia said.
“I understand that it wouldn’t be strange (for) my stuff (to be) stolen if it was lying in the quad, but it was in a room where students were coming into and out of.”
Annya also said the theft was bizarre, since the timing of it seemed too perfect to be a coincidence.
“It’s strange how a random person can just walk onto campus and no one would notice them and they can just walk out with four computers,” Annya said. “Also it was perfect timing for whoever did it.
“For them to walk onto campus at the exact time when there was a concert where everyone was at (the MP Room), and walk into the one room that was unlocked at that time and go into backpacks and take the computers and walk away (is) kind of fishy if you think about it.”
Xu, like Annya, is also frustrated.
“This has happened before,” Xu said, “so the school needs to do something about it.”
Annya’s solution? Cameras.
“We need to get cameras or have a closed-off campus because our school is pretty unsafe,” she said. “If you think about it, anyone can come on campus and do anything.”
—By Chardonnay Needler
