Monday, February 19, 2024:
Monday morning when Brunswick High School’s (BHS) basketball team arrived for practice, they were met with a startling scene. BHS had been vandalized late Sunday night – leaving significant damage to the property. Seven windows had been broken with asphalt from nearby roadwork and green spray paint had been used in various places.
This damage did not prohibit Brunswick High School from opening on Tuesday, February 20. Frederick County Public Schools maintenance was able to get glass from the damage cleaned up relatively quickly, as well as board windows with significant damage for the time being. The Brunswick community was reassured by the principal, Mr. Christopher Berry, that the building was safe for students and staff to occupy.
It has been speculated that this destruction was done by a single individual – however, there is no further information about the perpetrator(s). At this time, the Brunswick City Police as well as the Frederick County Sheriff’s Department are continuing to investigate this scene. While this investigation is ongoing, it is encouraged that any students or families report anything they know about this situation.
As students returned to school after Presidents Day on February 20, students were met with Mr. Berry’s words of reassurance. He said, “This destructive action is not a reflection of who we are as a school community. It does not reflect the character of our students…”
This incident has been a hot topic at Brunswick High School amongst the student body. A current sophomore at Brunswick High School stresses the violence behind this attack. She says, “If the person [or persons] who did this is violent enough to do that to the school, they could do something more violent – potentially to the student body.”
When looking at Brunswick High School’s history with violence, it is expected for students to feel this type of fear. Just last year, a teacher suffered extreme injuries while trying to break up a physical fight between two students. After this past weekend and the destruction of other property within the vicinity of Brunswick High School, violence has now become a trending community concern inside and outside of the school building
Saturday, February 24, 2024:
After a thorough investigation, police were able to charge three suspects with destruction of property. Once the charges went through, many students were relieved that the perpetrators had been held accountable. A senior at Brunswick, who prefers to stay anonymous, says, “I feel better now that someone is being held accountable for their actions. I think it shows the community does care about the safety of the school and the students inside.” Brunswick students usually do not see much follow through with anything that comes to the building. In fact, it took three weeks for the glass to be replaced after this incident. While this vandalism issue may be resolved, Brunswick’s building continues to be repaired with bigger issues inside on when it will be rebuilt in the near future.
