here is the story that was in the newspaper today


Vintage High students avoid school after graffiti threat
Wednesday, October 22, 2003

By MARSHA DORGAN
Register Staff Writer

Concerned and frightened parents kept their children home from Vintage High School on Tuesday, following a graffiti threat sprayed in the quad over the weekend, stating "Everyone will die 10/21/03."

About 30 percent of the student body did not attend school on Tuesday, according to school officials.

An anxious staff, along with police, searched the campus thoroughly Monday and found nothing, Vintage High School Principal Eric Schneider said.

"We talked to teachers, asking them if they had heard any talk from the students ... anything unusual that might give us a clue. We came up with absolutely nothing. At that point, we felt comfortable holding classes today," Schneider said.

Other than many empty desks, classes went on without a hitch on Tuesday, but some students, like senior Lindsey Cooper, took the threat seriously.

"It may just be a threat, but it has happened at other schools," Cooper, 17, said. "I just felt safer staying at home today."

Classmate Oorena Rameriz, also a senior, attended school on Tuesday.

"I just felt it most likely was a prank. So, I went to school today. But, I was being very aware of things going on around me," Rameriz said. "I didn't feel real threatened ... maybe just a little."

On Monday, the school sent out an automatic voice mail to every parent informing them of the graffiti. The phone message also reassured parents the school, along with police, had made every effort to make sure students would be safe if they attended school Tuesday.

"We had many, many calls from parents. Staff was here until 7 p.m., Monday fielding calls. The parents were very worried. We didn't try to convince them to send their children to school, but just assured them we felt the school was safe, and if we didn't, we would not hold school," Schneider said.

He added the teachers handled the discussions about the threats with their students.

"They focused on making sure the students felt safe and were free to share their fears," he said. "In these days, we have to teach students to deal with moments of adversity."

The graffiti threat was discovered on the little theater building by school maintenance staff on Saturday. School district staff were called in immediately to paint over the message. The city graffiti abatement crew arrived on Monday and removed the spray paint.

Napa police officers were out in full force at the school Tuesday morning, Sgt. Gil Gallegos said.

Officers were at the school early, checking out buildings, lockers and looking for anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, Gallegos said. "We also had a K-9 sniffing for explosives. Once we determined it was safe, we began scaling down."

Gallegos said there were rumors that "10/21/03" was picked because it was the anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado in which two students shot and killed 12 classmates and a teacher, before committing suicide.

The Columbine shooting happened on April 20, 1999, not October, he said. "That also helped give us less credence to the threats."

Schneider said the school has been a victim of graffiti in the past.

"But this time, it's pretty threatening. Before it has been tagging or dispute between individuals," he said. "I will be very concerned if this becomes a pattern. But I'm glad to report, as of now, that's not the case."