While winter break is commonly celebrated as a festive time full of holiday spirit, this year’s vacation revealed an unfortunate surprise: multiple accounts of anti-semitic and racist graffiti appeared on the walls, windows and bathrooms of Islander Middle School, prompting widespread concern for this community’s sense of safety and security.
The timeline began on Jan. 1, when, according to the morning announcements of IMS co-principal Mary Jo Budzius, “some people came onto our campus” and “wrote hateful messages and symbols.” On Jan. 6, a swastika was found in the girls’ bathroom, and as reported by one of several emails by Superintendent Fred Rundle, IMS Co-Principals Mary Jo Budzius and Aaron Miller, and IMS Associate Principals Katie Gallagher and Becky Mullvain, another “incident” — presumably another swastika — followed this on Jan. 7. In addition, antisemitic graffiti was discovered on the afternoon of Jan. 8 on a stop sign adjacent to the IMS campus. So what prompted this disturbing rise in blatant public displays of aggression and vandalism?’
Unfortunately, this disturbing series of events, while a shock to Mercer Island, is not exactly out of the ordinary in this day and age. Antisemitism has been on the rise in the United States over the last year, with more than 10,000 incidents reported since Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023. MI used to be mainly populated by Jews and still has an extremely high 25% Jewish population compared to the 2-4% of Seattle or 2.4% across the U.S. Additionally, the email noted these “copycat” acts follow other “high-profile incidents” such as the attack in New Orleans on Jan. 1, when Shamsud-Din Jabbar intentionally drove into a crowd of people on Bourbon Street with an ISIS flag in his vehicle. Copycat crimes occur due to inspiration or motivation from exposure to previous crimes. While MI schools pride themselves on their strict adherence to the values of acceptance, inclusion and safety, destructive acts like this have the ability to shatter a well-fostered sense of trust in a community.
“We are working hard to make sure that all students feel physically and emotionally safe,” Budzius said. “All of the adults at IMS care greatly for each student and have individually made commitments around safety and security, showing compassion and empathy to all students, and building connections with students.”
IMS has taken measures such as partnering with the School Resource Officer, implementing the Securly hall pass system and increasing supervision around the school in order to pave the way toward a community filled with mutual respect and acceptance. While MI is infamous for its high-level and competitive academic environment, this doesn’t necessarily translate to a lack of ignorance or disrespect compared to any other school. Furthermore, these incidents of vandalism are currently closed investigations, with the school and police identifying the perpetrators less than six hours after the security footage was released. Both suspects are male, although information regarding their names and whether they have been arrested has not been publicized. The counseling team is readily available for student and parent conversations alike, and actions such as teaching a lesson from the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and No Place for Hate about the swastika symbol and reaching out to community organizations with the Holocaust Center for Humanity and the Jewish Day School to plan continued lessons have been taken.
“We have condemned the actions and asked our student body to stand together against hate,” Budzius said. “We are working hard to make sure that all students feel physically and emotionally safe,” she continued when asked what she would say to students who are doubting their safety in this community. While some may question the importance of addressing an event such as this with the thought, time and platform that it has received, it is absolutely crucial to stand up against instances of hate that threaten the security, well-being or identity of any citizen.
While there is no guarantee that there will never be another incident of hostility or violence against the community, MI leadership’s proactive preventative measures and ongoing investigation aim to better educate students and restore the island’s sense of inclusion and security. When incidents such as these occur, “our priority is to address them promptly and thoughtfully by supporting students in understanding the impact of their actions and providing education to foster growth” and “[partner] with parents, the community, faith-based organizations and other resources to promote positive choices in decision making for all of our students,” Budzius concluded.
