Students got a closer look at construction than usual in February, when someone cut away a nine foot section of the leaf-print tarp covering the chain link fence around the construction site near the Rossmore Avenue entrance of school.

It was the second case of someone stealing sections of the tarp. The first time, about three months ago, a 60 foot piece was taken, but construction workers had extra tarp available to quickly replace it before most people noticed, said Nick Hernandez, Director of Finance and Operations.

Hernandez said he does not know the reason for or who committed the vandalization, but suspects the purpose was landscape-related.

“Given that the tarp is an ivy façade, I imagine whoever took it is using it in an outdoor area as a backdrop or as a way to shield an area that is aesthetically unappealing,” he said.

The construction site, Hernandez said, is monitored by Bel-Air patrol systems.

Initially, the ivy façade tarp was chosen because it fit in well with the neighborhood. In addition, the ivy  façade would discourage graffiti, since the graffiti would be harder to read, Hernandez said. Last January, graffiti appeared on the initial plain, green tarp, provoking the change to the new tarp.

But now, it appears that the tarp is being stolen for its aesthetic value, Hernandez said.