By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser Windward Bureau
KAILUA — Vandals slashed cable wire, smashed lights and destroyed palm trees at Keolu Elementary over the weekend in the worst case of vandalism the school has seen this year, according to principal Linda Kishimoto.
When students and teachers returned to school Monday they found numerous ti plants cut down, a branch from a tree severed and seven palm trees destroyed. Other plants were hacked off, and a bench was overturned and .
New wiring for the school’s communications and computer network was cut, forcing the school to reinstall the cable system for television and telephone service, said Kishimoto. State workers were at the school Monday to complete the project and found the wires severed.
"I’m saddened by it, but it’s not going to keep us from fulfilling our school mission," Kishimoto said of the damage.
Vandalism isn’t new to the school, she said, but this incident went beyond any seen this academic year.
The wiring project began in December but will be delayed until the end of the year, she said. The vandalism will deny students thousands of hours of computer use, which can’t be made up.
Witnesses said three males and one female arrived on campus Friday evening in a white Jeep, Kishimoto said. They were carrying a machete and ax. The group was seen running on the roof, but most of the destructive behavior occurred out of neighbors’ views.
Kishimoto said she couldn’t begin to estimate the cost of undoing the damage. The ti plants will grow back, but the palms won’t. The palm trees were older, adding to the cost of replacement.
"It will be thousands of dollars to replace the plants," she said.
The damage upset and scared the children, said Bernice Poole, a first-grade teacher. The incident reminded the children of an emergency drill at the school several weeks ago. The students practiced what to do if a violent person was in the neighborhood, including shutting the door and closing windows. Poole said she assured the students that nothing would probably happen, but it did.
"One of my students said, boy, we just had the practice and there was a meany guy on the campus," Poole said, "which means to me now they are afraid."
The palm trees are outside Poole’s classroom in A Building, which houses kindergarten, first grade and the school office. Eight trees lined the walkway, friendly sentinels for young pupils. With their crowns hacked off, the trees will soon shrivel up and die.
Kishimoto, who is new to the school this year, said she thinks the palm trees were part of a beautification project planted by teachers. The kindergarten class cared for one of the trees.
Tucked away in a natural drainage area, most of the school isn’t visible from Keolu Drive — the main thoroughfare — so the school must rely on neighbors to watch for trouble, she said.
"We’re asking our neighbors to be more vigilant and to call police when they see people on campus."
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