To the editor:
For those community residents that don’t know, three pieces of playground ground equipment were stolen from the Hilltop School Playground between June 8th and 9th this year. The total value of the equipment taken is over $2000. Within a few days, one piece of equipment was found on the roof at the Caribou High School Complex, one piece was found on Washington St., damaged, and one piece is still missing. Some folks are simply wanting to chalk this episode up as a prank; others might not agree so readily.
Funk and Wagnalls’ Dictionary defines a prank as a mischievous or frolicsome act. The dictionary also defines to vandalize as to willfully destroy or deface property. Now perhaps some of us are getting along in age but a prank use to be a dozen pink flamingos on someone’s lawn or wrapping someone’s house or car in toilet paper or placing a heavy dose of shaving cream over someone’s windows … all in good fun and although perhaps not environmentally wise, still easy to remedy.
In this particular instance, over $2,000 of public equipment was removed, damaged and in one instance, still missing. When the issue surfaced at a recent council meeting, it was noted that the Superintendent of Schools and I had agreed that it was truly an act of vandalism and that it should be pursued in that vein. Once the seriousness of the act became public knowledge, those responsible could have come forward, returned the missing unit, paid the damages and costs incurred by taxpayers for repair and reinstallation and faced whatever other fines might be levied based on the type of crime it was classified as … to date that has not happened.
Not owning up to the act of vandalism, in my opinion, makes a clear statement about one’s character — something that I believe in this day and age really is lacking. If we are going to teach our children to be a viable part of the work force some day and to play an integral role in shaping the future of their world, we need to give them the tools and the role modeling to help them be successful.
Recently I found an interesting excerpt regarding character from a publication entitled “Translating Beliefs Into Behaviors”. Simply stated: “Character is who you are when no one else is watching.” In this publication they provide a wonderful explanation of defining personal character. Basically they describe our character as being shown by:
The jokes we choose to share … and not to share.
The derogatory terms we choose to use … and refuse to use.
The promises we choose to break … and the ones we keep.
The rumors we choose to spread … and those we ignore.
The resources we choose to waste … and those we use wisely.
The lies we choose to tell … and not to tell.
The responsibilities we choose to accept … and those we shirk.
The courtesies we choose to extend … and fail to extend.
The efforts we choose to put forth … and not put forth.
The quality we choose to provide … and the corners we cut.
The information we choose to share … and that which we hoard.
The listening we choose to do and not do.
The respect we choose to give … and fail to give.
The helpful hands we choose to extend … and those we keep in our pockets.
I would like to think that of all that the Caribou community has given to its young people, we have given them value and a sense of strong character to take with them as they move forward in life. What I personally would like to see is the return of the airplane still missing from the playground that means so much to so many youngsters, and a willingness to repay the Caribou taxpayers for the cost of the items replacement and repair. I don’t believe that is too much to ask.
Kathleen A. Mazzuchelli
Supt. Parks and Recreation
