Christian school vandalism, theft continues

MAT-SU -- A break-in and robbery at Cornerstone Christian School Thursday night has parents and teachers worried that the school has become a target.

The private Christian school has been victim to a series of break-ins and vandalism in recent months.

"Our school has been under siege," said Lac/ Hall, the school's treasurer. "We have been targeted. This is not a coincidence, and we think it's the same people who are doing this."

Alaska State Troopers filed a report this morning at the school, where someone broke into two out of the six portable buildings. In all, three classrooms were vandalized.

Missing items included two large-screen televisions, two DVD players, a CD/cassette player, videos, a microwave oven and other miscellaneous items. Hall estimates the value of the stolen property to be approximately $2,000.

The thieves also took random items, such as a teacher's grade book and a globe.

"It's very strange, files were taken off my desk, but they were unimportant files," Principal Karen Armstrong said. "They even took an American flag off the wall. We have no idea who it is."

The break-in Thursday night comes hard on the heels of eight or nine other incidents at the school in recent months. In October, the school's bus was vandalized; 19 windows were cracked or broken and a few lights were smashed, Hall said.

The trouble began in August when someone threw rocks through several windows at the school. Since then there have been other minor incidents; one classroom building was egged three weeks ago.

Hall said Cornerstone is in the process of installing motion sensors and video surveillance on school grounds.

"It's a shame it has come to this," Hall said. "We're a small Christian school. We don't have a lot of money and these people are costing us a lot."

The K-12 private Christian school has an enrollment of about 90 students, with 10 staff members. Now in its eighth year, Cornerstone moved to its current location two years ago.

"Some people have made it a point to single us out," Hall said. "At first we thought it was just random, but now it's getting disruptive. It's a personal attack and it's affecting a lot of people here."

Nearby Teeland Middle School on Seldon Road has reported no incidents of theft or vandalism, Principal Larry Jacobsen said.

Cornerstone is offering a cash reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

"This is a financial burden on the school," Hall said. "We don't have state or federal money we can access because we're a private school. Parents contribute generously to this school and this is an extra burden for them."

Contact John Davidson at john.davidson@frontiersman.com.