Sunday, July 27, at 3:45 a.m., Officer Michael McColl, Eureka Police Department, performed a routine check of the Eureka High School campus when he discovered the Welcome Center to have been graffitied.

“I observed the steel columns supporting the awning had been painted with what appeared to be brown spray paint,” Officer McColl wrote in the police report.

In addition to the graffiti on the Welcome Center entrance, vandals defaced multiple signs in the front of the building, broke decorative flower pots and sprayed profanities on the entry doors, as well as the brick walls and windows behind the columns.

While further investigating the campus, McColl’s search revealed broken windows and more defaced signs on the northeast wing and a trash can, two signs, a fire hydrant, and another brick wall on the south side.

The culprits also hit the concession stand at Russo Field, marking the structure with spray paint all around, on the restroom doors and even the nearby retaining wall.

“This is my 12th year, and I have never seen anything like this before,” Mrs. Deborah Asher, head principal said. “We have had some graffiti in the past, although it was isolated incidents. This is the first time that it has been so widely spread throughout campus.”

Damage this extensive required a professional cleaning team and cost $5,000-6,000, according to an email Mrs. Asher sent to staff, July 28.

“Honestly I was sick to my stomach when I got the call,” Mrs. Asher said. “I just got sicker and sicker as we learned more about the damage. What upsets me the most is that this is not Eureka and this is not the climate and culture of the students of Eureka. I don’t like the image that it portrays of our students because that is not who our students are.”

Anyone with any information regarding the vandalism should contact Mrs. Asher (636-733-3114) or [email protected]) or the Eureka Police Department (636-938-6600).