SOUTHPORT -- Every year fifth graders at Southport Christian School raise money for a class trip to Williamsburg. This year their hard work may not pay off.
Nearly $10,000 in cash and merchandise is gone, taken from these fifth graders who worked all year to save up for their class trip.
Fifth-grader Georgianna Watson said, "Who would steal something from kids? I mean, really?"
Fifth-grader Hannah Jones said, "It took them a really long time to raise the money and we got it so fast and to be taken away like that is just, you know…"
The kids spent all year raising money and anticipating the fun they'll have at Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens.
Parent and teacher Cindy Aldridge said, "It wasn't even the school's money, it was the children's money. That they worked for, and it was unbelievable to me that someone could do something like that."
School Principal Lisa Kjome says she thinks the theft happened Sunday night...
She suspects someone snuck in through this window, into the office where the money was locked away...
Before the robbery this safe held gold graduation necklaces, tickets to Busch Gardens and $4,000 cash. Now, that's all gone."
Georgianna said, "We worked really hard for that money. We did dinners, we did Christmas cottages and most of it gone, that's devastating."
Kjome says the school and the students are determined to take their trip. The students have been fundraising to make up for the setback.
Kjome said, "You know, we're a small school, it's not like we have a big savings fund or anything."
School administrators didn't realize they'd been robbed until Wednesday. Kjome filed a report with Brunswick County sheriff's detectives, who are now investigating the case.
If you have any information that could help call the sheriff's office at 253- 2777.
5th Grade Class Trip Money Stolen
I find it quite surprising that someone who should be educated and have some "smarts" like a teacher and principal would be so dumb as to keep a large sum of money inside the school when there are banks. This would have made a wonderful class in economics if the teacher had led the students in setting up a bank account. The students would have gained experience in learning how to manage such an account. Hopefully, both students, teacher and principal will use this sad experience as a lesson and use the bank the next time.
Is it possible that the stealing could have been an inside job?
school theft
the school does have a bank account. It was just cashed out for the students meal money and 1 tour that required cash. The remainder of $ 15,000 had already been sent to tour company. The money was only there for a short amount of time before leaving 5/14. A safe in a locked office, in a locked school, on church property should be safe for a short time period. There has never been burglary in 12 years.
Why did someone in charge
Why did someone in charge not simply rent a safe deposit box at a bank? It seems that the principal could have thought of this.
Money stolen
You must be a real scum bag to steal from anyone, however you are the lowest of scum bags stealing from kids. I hope lightning will strike you and knock some sense into you and return the money .....
Does the school...
have insurance that would cover this, and is the insurance company aware that this amount of cash is being kept on site?
Money theft?
I think that they should install cameras in the school now that this has tooken place. Also you have to think if their was a theft, then maybe their should be a way that the doors can lock from the outside, so that the students are in a safe invironment. Also maybe the kids parents or family members can restart some fundraisers and try to keep the money in a safer place this time. Sorry for the theft, the criminal will get caught. If not by the law it will be by God!!!
There are cameras on site
This is what is killing me to ask. There are cameras on site. The school board spent butt loads of taxpayer bucks to have them installed. I kinda know what I'm talking about.
??? What gives?
School Board?
Southport Christian is a private school and as far as I know has nothing to do with the Brunswick County School Board. Are you sure that the church school does infact have working cameras? Please fill us in a bit more if you know.
I'm not going to say this is
I'm not going to say this is an inside job, but it's obvious that the person took this money knew where it was. This person knew what was in the safe and knew how to get in an out of the office without getting caught.
im a kid from the school
i no that nobody working their would do that because they helped us raise and nobody at the school would have a heart like that
For those you who want to
For those you who want to prejudge and say that it was an inside job should really keep your opinions to yourself. This school shares their location with a church. Maybe it was a church breakin and they saw that there was a safe. I am not saying that this was the best location for the money, but regardless there are other factors I am sure the news did not report about the surroundings of the school. This is a very sad thing to happen to these kids and teachers, who are some of the best.(Almost all of the 4 year old program children come out reading, as well as really high reading levels) I pray that these children are able to still go. By the way no teacher would steal from their own children that they teach, the one's they love.
thank you
thank you, are the only one who understands because i go to that school and i am in the 5 grade and to here the other things people think is just wrong so thank you for caring
money stolen from fifth graders
Oops...i posted the wrong website heres the correct one http://www.reminderbands.com
money stolen from fifth graders
I think it was an inside job.the back door was unlocked an the window was unlocked (which is locked from the inside). an the safe was still intack.no signs of forced entry.go figure.i think the the school should be held accountable for replacing the kids money because the money was entrusted to the school.
ps.parents,kids here's a neat fundraiser it's a silicone bracelet that you can have anything imprinted on it an costs less than .50 cents each heres the site. http://www.rememberbands.com
I agree teachers are always
I agree teachers are always complaining about being under paid. They get way to many raises and bonuses. The assistants should get a raise because they are the ones doing the work for the teachers.
no way
alright you are wrong your teachers mite have complained but are teachers are way different they care about us they say all the time that they worked at a school with them paying more than our school does but they say that if they were not payed they would still work here
ok - check your facts
Teacher's assistants receive a pay scale that is very similar to that of a college educated, state certified teacher. Assistants assist; teachers teach. When was the last time a teacher's assistant stayed until 6:30pm to meet with a parent? Or spent a beautiful Sunday inside grading papers and planning for the coming weeks instead of playing with their own children? If you break the pay down, teachers make something like $4 an hour because of all the time spent working on schoolwork outside of regular school hours. If a TA is doing all the work for a teacher, then maybe she should speak up and tell someone.
That safe wasn't BROKE OPEN
That safe was not broke open, just look closely. Somebody that already had access there went back into it and then they discovered that the money was gone.
This wasn't a burgler, this was an inside job thief!
I own one of those safes
A monkey could manipulate the combination. They are not intended to be burglar proof, but simply provide some limited security while protecting against fire.
Could NOT have been a teacher
Could NOT have been a teacher, they are too busy teaching to the EOG tests to have the time to go about stealing some money.
But then again the people of Brunswick County are paying the Superintendent of schools there hundreds of thousands a year to waste the lives of the kids that we entrust into the government schools. That stealing in my book.
Their only obligation is to produce a kid that can be smart enough to work a job and pay taxes that support them. Smarter students would turn their system upside down, so the teachers don't want that. What a joke the system is, home school your kids through the internet and let them have a better life.
Private Schools
Since this is a private school, they are not required to follow EOG testing. So to say that this is the primary task of a teacher in this particular school is ignorant.
However, don't insult the profession because of over-zealous government action. By all means, let your kid(s) be internet homeschooled--we in the public education sector definitely don't want any with this as their role model.
whatever
my school and teachers are not ignorant do u no how hard they work twice as hard as public schools we all were blessed so don,t call them ignorant because we love them and if you went to a private school you would no
KennyG
I hope you don't home school your kids. You sound like a real winner.
Why would...
the school keep that amount of money in the school, let alone in a fire safe! Hello...ever hear of a bank?!
Who knew that amount of money was there?
Does "inside job" come to mind? I smell a rat in the school.
Teachers are always complaining about the pay
I bet it was one of the teachers that worked there. Maybe even if they get caught and convicted it won't hurt them in their job prospects, the teacher's union protect perverts which are far worse criminals than thieves.
thats is so wrong
look i go to the school nobody there would do that and thats all i have to say
stolen money
THERE ARE NO TEACHER's UNIONS in NC - evidenced by the fact that teachers are paid a pittance and have the worst health insurance benefits. Last I checked, teachers have no one to defend them - hence your response.
Hello?
This was a private school.. and there's not a teacher's union in Brunswick County!
No union
NC has no union for teachers. Get your facts right before you speak!
Kids field trip money
This is just awful. Must be someinsider who either knows about this or talked too much about this.
1st The money should have been put into an account that could be drawn on for the trip.
2nd This is the kind of thing that gets bigger and bigger if not corrected NOW.
That's a FIRE SAFE
Those Sentry Fire Safes are not designed to be break-in proof. The may slow someone down, but anyone can get into them in a short period of time. They are designed for fire protection only.
Go see A-1 Safe and Lock on Carolina Beach Road. They have a great assortment of REAL safes that won't be broken into.
Meanwhile, the school should pay for the trip since they chose a container wholly unsuited for what was inside of it.
Insurance?
What do you expect from a government school. I think that someone that worked at the school had a hand in the theft.
I would assume that the school system has insurance to cover theft and since they were responsible for keeping the money (LOL) safe.
Southport Christian School
Southport Christian School is a small private non-denominational school and is NOT government funded.
The teachers and staff of that school are the best you could ask for and are totally devoted to their student's well being and educational needs. The thought of this theft being an "inside job" is inconceivable, especially with several recent church break-ins in our area.
SCS is a wonderful school
SCS is a wonderful school which offers our kids an excellent education in a nurturing environment. It is very upsetting to read all these comments about it being an inside job - from the outside it may appear to be that way, but as a parent of kids in the school....we know better.
thank you
you are right the teachers care to much about us so they will never no unless they have been to this wonderful school p.s. i am a 5 grader
did you read the article at all?
The school was Southport Christian School.. (ran in a church, by the way) a small PRIVATE school who isn't affliated with the school system in either North Carolina or Brunswick County
This is not a public school.
This is not a public school. They do not have the financial backing of the state or county. BTW, the teacher's "union", as it exists in NC, is just about worthless. We're in a right to work state, remember?
Not a Government School
Evidently "Guestimate" went to a "horrible" government school as the first line of the article says "Southport Christian School" which is not a "government" school and not connected with the Brunswick County School System. Try reading a little closer next time.
Christian / Government schools
Indoctrination happens at both places. Calling it a Christian school doesn't make it any better.
"Southport Christian School" may not be part of the Brunswick County School system but is required to report to the State of North Carolina. Teachers and staff are required to meet certain State standards.
"Christian" education is redundantly Christian and just as money driven.