Many students may not have noticed, but three weeks ago, Principal Bob McBride made the decision to show Neuqua Valley High School students just how messy they are.
“It’s true only to the extent that two weeks ago for three days in the evening we did not have the custodians clean. For two reasons: we just wanted to see how much trash was accumulated…we also wanted to see if students noticed,” says McBride. The result – “Students would just push with their hands the garbage in a pile rather than throwing it away before sitting down”.
The problem that has escalated in the Main building, not so much the Gold building, has resulted in many problems. The large volume of trash that has begun to accumulate is tarnishing the school’s image. “If people come here as visitors, they see how students treat the building,” says McBride. Not only that, but the environmental issue also bothers some students and faculty – of all the trash that builds up on the floor, much of it can be recycled and avoid ending up in a landfill.
Most importantly, McBride quotes that “the biggest issue is the health hazard…all that trash that’s on the floor has been either in somebody’s mouth…or been on somebody’s hands…so literally, their hands, their clothes, all of that potential virus are right there.”
The reasons for this ignorance are clear. First and foremost, students are lazy. Secondly, they think it is somebody else’s job, like the custodial staff. But McBride says that they could “be spending their time in a better way. They are here round the clock. Our largest shift, of the three shifts, is in the evening. 11 pm – 5 am.” Also, “we don’t have enough custodial staff to really keep up with how much trash students are just dropping on the ground.”
Right now different measures are being taken to encourage students to walk a few extra feet, and use the trash cans. Sitting in the locker banks is a privilege for the students and since there have been no improvements, locker banks are no longer option areas. Students will be asked to stand if they sit on the ground, and faculty will be more strict on not allowing students to eat outside of the lunch room.
“Unfortunately right now, I haven’t seen an improvement,” says McBride. “I just hope that students take pride in their school and that they value their school and don’t think that cleaning up is someone else’s job.”
Pallavi Bamzai, Advertising and Layout & Design Editor
