By Jenny Park

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On the evening of March 25, a fire was intentionally started at the MHS John Kauinana Stadium. School officials and the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) are still investigating, as fingerprints were left at the scene of the fire.

“It appears that some people climbed the fence to the stadium and committed various acts of vandalism. They siphoned gas out of a contractor’s vehicle and started a portion of the track and a wooden crate on fire,” explained Vice Principal Andrea Moore.

This was not the first act of vandalism at MHS during the stadium’s renovations. Just one month prior to this fire, the construction workers’ equipment, work area and vehicles were tampered with. The vehicles were hot-wired and driven on the incomplete turf, creating more work to be done by the construction deadline of May 30.

Although the recent fire is still undergoing investigation, the construction is estimated to finish in late April, which is ahead of schedule. However, these vandalism and arson cases are not just destroying school property. “(This event) undermines the reputation of MHS students,” said Moore.

With this second act of vandalism and trespassing, six new security cameras were installed to add to the 85 that are already present in the school along with night lights to ensure that no one sneaks onto the field unnoticed. In the meantime, different measures are being taken to catch the person or persons responsible for the fire. Moore said, “(HPD is) investigating (and) Dr. Brummel has offered a reward of $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of perpetrators.”

As the investigation continues, fingerprints left behind at the scene as well as new security measures present the hope that school officials and HPD may find those responsible and discourage these incidences from happening again.