Arleta : Young Students Learn the Power of the Pen

Students, parents and teachers at Canterbury Avenue Elementary School are fighting back after being hit for about the 10th time in less than six months by burglars and vandals.

The last break-in occurred over Christmas break, school officials said, when four Apple computers were stolen and burglars also painted graffiti on school property.

In an attempt to show that the pen is mightier than the sword, students at the school teamed up with parents and administrators to wage a letter-writing campaign to prompt action.

“Some of the students decided they wanted to respond to what was happening to them, instead of just being victims again and again,” said Robin Weisz, of Sherman Oaks, whose daughter is a first-grader at the school’s magnet.

“So they started writing letters--everyone, including the kindergartners,” said Weisz, whose daughter sent one of the first letters to Mayor Richard Riordan.

Riordan responded with what appeared to be a personal note saying he was glad she had taken time to write about her concerns. But the letter offered no solutions or advice, Weisz said.

Other missives were sent to board members of the Los Angeles Unified School District, to police and local Neighborhood Watch groups.

“The idea was to teach them to go through channels, and it’s definitely produced some results,” said Santa Calderon, Canterbury principal, who noted that school board member Julie Kornstein had scheduled a visit to the school on Friday to check on some of the concerns.

Calderon said the school recently spent $20,000 in discretionary funds to install metal grilles over the school’s windows.

“That money was supposed to be spent for program support, on things to help teach the kids, but we decided after the last break-in we had to get the grilles,” she said.

But the letter-writing campaign has drawn attention to the school’s plight, Calderon said, noting that local Neighborhood Watch members recently called the police after noticing teens hanging out on school property after hours.