At approximately 3:50 am during Key Club’s Eliminate Night  sleepover on 29 November, the staff room window was broken by an unknown perpetrator. The drowsy students in the room were snapped awake by the sound of the shattering glass.

Led by principal Mrs. Goldenberg, staff responded instantaneously, bursting into the room right after the event happened. Their first priority was to ensure the safety of the students. They found out if any of the students were hurt by the incident. Grade 9 student Edmund Rong was the only one injured, having been slightly cut by the shards of glass.

A staff room window was broken at around 4am during this year's Eliminate Night event. The broken window was quickly covered with plywood, and students were ushered out. The night's activities were otherwise unaffected. Photo: Kai Huang

A staff room window was broken at around 4am during this year’s Eliminate Night event. The broken window was quickly covered with plywood, and students were ushered out. The night’s activities were otherwise unaffected. Photo: Kai Huang

“I saw a guy running away from the window,” says Mike Dai, a Grade 9 student sitting directly under the window at the time of the incident. The same was observed by several who were still in the process of watching a movie. Students are giving a multitude of testimonies on the matter, with some saying they saw headlights. Several others stated that they saw a van pull up and drive off, right before and after the incident respectively.

Most students believe the suspect to be a fellow Marc Garneau student that knew that Eliminate Night was occurring. Many offer conflicting opinions; several compared it to the frequent and deliberate pulls of the fire alarms that occur in the school. “This person was probably just trying to get some attention, but they’ll get caught soon enough”, says Grade 10 student Nelson Huang.

The students immediately moved to the cafeteria while the administration staff and security investigated the situation. However, even with the unexpected turn of events, Eliminate Night still continued to run, albeit in a slightly different manner.

Within two and a half hours, the situation was dealt with, and the empty space left by the window replaced with a plywood board. Students were told that they were permitted to return to the room if they wished.

The administration is looking into the matter and hopes to find the perpetrator as soon as possible. Mrs. Goldenberg requests that everyone keep their ears open for any information.