Bad Choices Make for Bad Press

No doubt if you've been watching local news you've seen Wyoming Park's name come up lately. The students associated and arraigned for the death of that poor boy from Grandville were graduates of Park and my former students. I don't know enough about the story or what happened to be able to report of make any suppositions about what happened, I do know that bad choices were involved, and even though they graduated and had moved on, Wyoming Park's name was still brought up in the news.

This morning I was confronted with more bad news when I drove up to school. The lights were off in most classes and our head custodian stopped me to say that we wouldn't be having school. I figured we blew a transformer or something, but no. Someone had broken into our school and vandalized many of the classrooms and hallways. The damage was extensive and will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to clean up, repair, and replace.

I've heard stories and guesses here and there as to who it may have been -whether it was Park kids or someone from outside our school/district- but no one can figure out why it was done.

Why...HOW...can someone have that much hate and revenge stored up in them to do that much damage? And for what? What good could this have possibly done for someone?

It makes me sad because our school is a GOOD school - no, it's a GREAT school. The actions of a few are tarnishing the reputation of many. I have great students who get ignored because they - on a daily basis - make good choices, succeed in school, and excel in the community. I have kids who come from the most unfortunate home lives and backgrounds, but still show up every day and pull solid A's and B's in school. Where is WOOD TV 8 when those kids have success? No where to be found. They are only interested in the bad choices that cause drama.

It's sad.