Hello Gauchos!

In this issue’s soapbox soliloquy, I thought I’d take a few moments to talk about the current bathroom situation that is plaguing CGHS.

Presently, the restrooms here are in abhorrent condition, and even that could be considered a gross understatement. For quite some time, these facilities have been vandalized, defaced, deformed and generally treated poorly by certain students, much to the dismay of others.

Obscene graffiti lines the walls. Paper towels and puddles of unknown fluids coalesce in different areas of the tile floor. Toilet seats are covered in liquids and other excrement. Many toilets remain unflushed, leaving behind a pleasant surprise for whatever unlucky soul manages to stumble in there for a 5 minute bathroom break. Urinals have been defaced. Auras of citrus-flavored vape clouds fill the room. And when populated with a large group of students, especially during break and lunch, these bathrooms are filled with the deafening echoes of incoherent yelling.

I spoke with Preston Spencer, a senior at Casa. He provided a candidly pessimistic, yet understandable perspective on the state of the bathrooms here.

Spencer went on to describe the bathrooms in detail; specifically, the restroom located in the E-wing directly adjacent to the Auto Shop area.

“Oftentimes, there’s something in the urinal. People want to just toss stuff in there…the other day, I saw aluminum foil in there, and on a particularly bad day, somebody had left something smelling of tobacco [there]…Occasionally, there’s graffiti on the walls. In the past few days, somebody has taken it upon themselves to paint with actual black paint some not-school-appropriate images,” summarized Spencer.

Defacement and vandalism are not the only things that occur in these rooms. There have reportedly been some illicit activities occurring behind closed doors.

“…I have seen people vaping or attempting to vape in the bathrooms, and I’ve definitely smelled the aftermath of it.”

Spencer was also quick to note how these fumes can begin to take a toll on his health and general well-being.

“I’m an asthmatic, so when there are people that have been vaping in the bathrooms, and I walk in there, [there’s] just this giant vape cloud of nicotine and other stuff that’s bad for your lungs, “ Spencer remarked. “I really don’t take well to it…”

Student health on campus should never be compromised, especially in a simple room that is required for basic human bodily function. It is clear that this basic freedom has been violated, and therefore must be corrected immediately.

Despite these troubles, however, the basic function of the bathroom itself seems to be intact.

“The bathrooms themselves: they work. They work as intended. Nobody’s been clogging the toilet or anything. But it’s just general bad presentation,” Spencer reported.

What absolutely frightens me, though, is how the student body treats these bathrooms. I mean, do they leave their bathrooms at home in a condition like this? Is a dirty, disgusting, putridly inconceivable mess of a bathroom their version of normal?

Spencer weighed in on the possible cause of this overall poor treatment of the restrooms.

“[Students] want to rebel and stick it to the man. Or they just feel like doing something that they shouldn’t…they think they’re sticking it to the staff members or Dr. O, but in reality, it’s Dion that’s having to clean this up.”

Gauchos, we must take decisive and impactful action immediately. We must revert our mistakes. We must undo something that never should have been done in the first place.

There are many students that have complained about the status of the bathrooms. Males. Females. Freshmen. Sophomores. Juniors. Seniors. Even I believe that these bathrooms are in atrocious condition. 

Remember my precept of prominence: We’re all in this together. All of us must pitch in to keep these bathrooms clean and safe and in good condition. Treat the school bathroom as you would at home: throw away your trash, flush the toilet when you leave, and ideally, if you see someone else’s trash on the ground, throw it away for them.

Spencer noted how he does his part to make the restrooms just a little bit better for the next person who comes along.

“If somebody’s really caused a mess, I will clean it up usually to the best of my ability, or to the best of my stomaching…”

Of course, I am not asking for every single student to become a maid for the population of students that deface and defile the bathrooms. I am simply requesting that, as students, we maintain a certain pedigree of common courtesy and respect towards one another such that the restrooms achieve a much greater level of overall quality.

“…To anybody reading this that has vandalized the bathrooms: just don’t. There are normal people that want to use them and don’t want to see your ‘artistic expression,’” Spencer concluded.

If you ever have any questions, comments or concerns about a particular article, or you have a suggestion for one, please don’t hesitate to leave us a comment, write us a letter or send us an email.

And let me leave you with one final thought: as students, learners, and decent human beings, let’s make this place the Big House, not the Big Outhouse.

Thanks for stopping by.

Seize the Day,

Owen Davis

Editor-in-Chief, 2022-2023