On October 22, school was canceled throughout the Snoqualmie Valley District because of school bus vandalism. Yep, that’s right: a simple prank brought an entire district to its knees. If you’re an overworked, under-rested student, you may be feeling the urge to clap in triumph.

However, Snoqualmie district officials would tell you to hold your applause. According to Jim Garhart, the district transportation supervisor, “It’s about $10,000 worth of damage… Police are investigating.” If the culprit is captured, a court will determine what he or she has to pay.

Fortunately for whoever has to pay the repair costs, most of the vandalism didn’t impair the buses’ driving mechanisms. “They cut the electronic wires to the strobe lights that are mounted on the stop paddles, and they cut the microphones and the PA system cords in the bus,” said Garhart. The only damage that actually prevented vehicles from moving was that the perpetrator punctured three buses’ tires with a knife. Although the remaining buses were functioning, Garhart explained that buses couldn’t safely pick kids up without the lights.

Somewhat surprisingly, Snoqualmie students were also unhappy about the incident. “As far as the whole vandalism thing goes, I think it’s really disgusting,” said Emily Brodie, a junior at Mount Si High School. “I can’t believe that we’re going to use that money for re-inflating bus tires and getting new wires for the buses instead of getting new books for the math department.”

Senior Heidi Hall, also from Mount Si, complained that the media had exaggerated the significance of the event. “I feel like any time anything in our district happens at all, the news blows it way out of proportion,” she said. She mentioned a situation earlier this year in which a Mount Si boy was accused of shooting at two girls. Local papers and TV stations covered the story extensively, she said, but “It was an Airsoft gun. If that had happened at Garfield, no one would know.”