Without looking, you pull the zipper and reach into your backpack for your wallet. Odd. It does not seem to be there, but you recall placing the wallet there this morning. Your heart starts racing and you begin to panic while rummaging through the backpack. It’s gone.

The very thought of even thinking about doing this vile act—let alone actually going through with it—disgusts
me.

At the Upper School, we have established trust in our community to place our backpacks, laptops, or athletic bags wherever we please, without worry that someone would steal from it. However, this community trust has been brought into question because of the recent wallet thefts that have occurred.

Not only is stealing a crime, but it also illustrates the thief’s lack of morality. How could the thief walk past their victim every day in the hallways, knowing that he/she took his/her belongings? Only a weak, conscience-free, and spineless person steals from others.

A student’s driver’s license, ID, gift cards, cash, coupons, and–heaven forbid—a debit or credit card might be in the wallet. To put it lightly, I’d be furious if any of those things were stolen from me. Student’s parents work hard to be able to afford everything in the wallet, so the thief is stealing not only from the victim but also the parents as well.

While it is possible to avoid the consequences of stealing at school, the real world is a whole different story. It can develop into a horrible habit in the future, lead to arrests, lawsuits, and jail time.

Thieves have morality issues and a weak character. Instead of harming society, they should go take an ethics class and serve the better community or do something useful with their time. While thefts have been occurring at the Upper School, students should be extra careful with their personal belongings. If students just used their lockers, this problem would be solved.