New lockers have recently been installed in both the men’s and women’s locker rooms to prevent the theft of students’ valuables.

The new fronts installed on the lockers prevent anyone from forcibly pulling one open, which was a major problem in the Physical Education locker rooms last year, according to assistant principal Jerry Berkson.

Berkson said there were approximately three to four electronic device thefts each month last school year.  These thefts were due to the mechanisms on the fronts of the lockers, which could easily be pulled open even if they were locked.

Junior Chris Smith expressed his concern with the previous lockers.

“It was just a mess,” Smith said. “Everyone’s stuff was getting stolen. After my phone got stolen, I just stopped using the lockers altogether.”

However, Berkson is optimistic about the new lockers preventing theft.

“This year the number of thefts should be cut down by 95 percent,” Berkson said.

According to Berkson, the administration hopes the addition of the new lockers will save them all the time that they had to spend investigating thefts and break-ins last year.

“Less thefts equal less time the administration has to spend on its investigations,” Berkson said.

The only way students will have items stolen this year is if they simply forget to lock their lockers, he added.