The bathrooms at OHS have been vandalized, recently, and the school is determined to end the vandals’ streak.

When the custodians would go into the boys’ bathrooms on the third floor, second floor and mezzanine, they noticed the poor condition the students have left them in.

“Putting large amounts of toilet paper on the toilets/urinals, placing of garbage bags in the urinals and anything else that can be done to trash the bathrooms has been noticed repeatedly throughout the school year,” Custodian Jessi Heitz said.

This would occur about once or twice a week, creating a disruption in the custodians’ cleaning schedule.

“It really ticks people off to go into a bathroom that is vandalised. It’s not comfortable, takes time away from class and learning and it’s really a disruption to the rights of students,” associate principal Caryn Boyd said.

Vandalism is not a common occurrence at Orono, “so when it happens, it really stands out,”  Boyd said.

“If you destroy something, it requires repair, clean up, and it does damage; it’s vandalism,” Boyd said.

Not simply trashing the bathrooms, but throwing the trash cans on others while in the stall has occurred as well.

“This vandalism is one that we do not want. It is not who we are as a school and it is not what the staff, students or faculty members want,” Boyd said.

However, if caught trashing the bathrooms, cleaning up the mess made is a must.

“When I was back in school we didn’t have the incidents like this until recently,” Heitz said.

According to the Socrates (469-399 B.C) about 2400 years ago, children, as the generations increase, love luxury more and the more, they love the increased level of bad manners and contempt for authority.

Not only to general authority, but disrespect for elders as well. Known in some cultures as tyrants, not servants, to their household.

Since the mistreatments, the boys’ bathrooms were locked, creating an inconvenience for students trying to go to the bathroom during the school day.

Custodians have to clean the mess by sanitizing the bathrooms and making sure everything is ready for the following school day, but it can become very time consuming and a hassle for them.

“More time taken from daily schedule because we want the school to be looking clean because it’s one of our jobs,” Heitz said.

Although the vandalist(s) are unknown, teachers and faculty near the bathrooms are coming together to keep an eye out for any possible vandalisms and picking up extra trash, creating less extra work for the custodians and preventing from further vandalism.