On Sept. 26, junior Brynn Hartness walked back to her car after school to see that a Porta-potty had been placed behind it, leaving her unable to leave her spot until junior Dalton Platt offered assistance. This was the first of three pranks pulled on students parked in the gravel lot, located between the soccer fields behind the school.
Credit: OHS student
With many Oswego High School students commuting to school in a car, having a convenient place to park is crucial for both the safety of their vehicle, and their attendance. OHS and the Oswego park district offer parking spots to students who don’t have a parking pass in the gravel lot. However, when students begin vandalizing school property and “pranking” their fellow students, they compromise the availability of these parking spots for everyone.
“I was just confused why it was there,” Dalton said. “It didn’t make any sense what they thought she would do if there wasn’t anyone to help.”
Brynn believed she was randomly targeted.
The second prank occurred on Oct. 5, with the only victim being the Porta-potty itself. There was significant damage dealt to it, with visible kick marks, walls dented inwards, a broken door, and red liquid splattered all over both the inside and outside of the walls, floor, and door. This left the Porta-potty mostly unusable and cost the school money to have it replaced.
Credit: OHS student
Like the first incident, there was no indication of a specific group that would vandalize the Porta-potty. The Porta-potty was replaced as of Oct. 13, according to students who frequently use the gravel lot.
The third and most recent prank, which took place on Oct. 6, affected Platt’s car, the same student who had assisted Brynn Hartness after the first recorded prank. This time the offenders had placed logs used to indicate parking spots in the gravel lot around the car, trapping it in place. These logs vary in weight, but are all considerably heavy, which caused problems as Dalton began moving the logs.
Credit: OHS Student
“It was honestly just more annoying than anything,” Platt said.“I can’t move them and leave them in the middle of the lot either, so I had to roll these huge logs back onto the field while maneuvering around parked cars.”
Students should be mindful of other students who park in the lot and how their actions would affect their attendance, and their routine out of school for those who have jobs after school.
With the chance of future problems occurring, students should be on the lookout for any signs of vandalism or signs of people disrupting the peace within the gravel lot. Note that OHS does not own the gravel lot and that the Oswegoland Park District owns the lot. OHS just allows students to park there during school hours. This means there can be disciplinary action from both the school and the park district. All reports regarding the gravel lot should be discussed with Levi Kempiak, the Oswegoland Parks Supervisor, or Stacey Baker, the Dean of Students.
I am a junior at OHS. This is my first year on staff as a news reporter and editor. I am interested in the gym and video games.
It’s a shame to have time and money wasted in these ways. Keep an eye out and “do the right thing” by discouraging anyone who might be involved in these activities.