It was no April Fool’s Day joke when two unidentified males broke into Poway High School’s campus late in the evening of April 1 and stole thousands of dollars in power tools used by students. Principal Richard Nash said on April 5 that a list of what was taken was still being compiled, but early estimates are that the loss is in the $3,000 to $10,000 range. Several of the tools were bought a couple years ago and will cost significantly more now to replace. Among items stolen were hand and shop tools such as table saws, planers, radial arm saws, compressors and other tools students in Poway High’s construction technology classes use, Nash said. Around 125 students from ninth to 12th grade are enrolled in the program that teaches them construction skills. Led by teacher Gene Tallon, their projects have included making the benches placed around campus, in the staff lounge and on the
Tennis courts; sheds used to store sports teams’ equipment; small furniture such as patio tables; and a tiny house that they construct every two years as their bigger endeavor, according to Nash. Campus video surveillance showed the break-in by two adult males occurred between 10:45 and 11:30 p.m., Nash said. “They parked on Riparian Road, the street behind the school,” Nash said. “They jumped the fence by the
baseball field. … They knew where they were going.” The tools were in an annex building, not where they are typically stored, but were there because they had recently been used, he said. “It is not the norm to store the tools in there,” Nash said, adding the crime was discovered the next day when a teacher found a door ajar and window open. A report was filed with the Poway Sheriff’s Station, according to Nash. No one from the station returned calls for comment by press time. According to Nash, with the crime happening late at night, the video is too grainy to clearly show the thieves’ faces. As for the impact on students, Nash said the theft “took (the program) offline for a while, but we’ve been getting great support from the community with monetary donations and tools. We hope to get it back on track when students get back from break.” Poway Unified School District is on a break this week, with students set to return to their campuses on April 15. Once word got out, community members have been trying to help the school replace what was lost, he said. “The Poway community is coming to the rescue,” Nash said. For now, the best way to help is by giving monetary donations through the PUSD Foundation, noting it is for Poway High’s construction technology program, Nash said. There is a donation link at the top of the foundation’s website at pusdfoundation.powayusd.com . Donations can be made via PayPal, credit card and Venmo. Those who want to mail a check can do so by writing it to “PUSD Foundation” and sending it to PUSD Foundation, Attn: Kelly Hamm, 13626 Twin Peaks Road, Poway, CA 92064. Donations are tax-deductible according to the website. For questions, call 858-668-4028.