Opportunistic speller insults school

All is in order at Tauranga Girls’ College after a vandal took the opportunity to adjust one letter on the school’s street-side public noticeboard.

The respelling of the word ‘whole’ with the ‘l’ replaced with an ‘r’ left the sign with an insulting message for those associated the school.

The ‘l’ in ‘whole’ was changed to an ‘r’ to give new meaning to the school’s sign.

Photos of it have been published to Facebook, further spreading the vandalised sign’s message.

College principal Pauline Cowens says the sign’s alteration was discovered by the college’s caretaker on Monday night.

She says it appears the sign was changed on Saturday night.

“We had a sign that had the opportunity for somebody to change and they did.”

Pauline says her first and only response was to get the caretaker and property manager to remove it.

“We don’t know who it was and we’re not following it up other than to take the sign down and put this week’s messages up.”

The sign was bought as a gift for the college by a former Year 13 class a few years ago.

“It’s really useful for communicating with the public.

“These things happen and unfortunately for us someone has Facebooked it.”

Some graffiti drawn on Monday night at the college is believed to be connected to the sign’s alteration.

Tauranga Girls’ College is not alone in having its sign vandalised in the last six months.

Mount Maunganui College had a sign altered in November 2011 to state senior students were studying for sex during exam time.

This sign alteration was made during NCEA exam study leave in 2011.