During Jr. Brandon Sisomouk’s sophomore year he encountered a very unpleasant experience while using the West Ottawa High School restroom. He encountered vandalism which made even using the restroom unbearable. He looked around and quickly retraced his steps back to his classroom. What he saw was absolutely disgusting. Toilet paper clogging the unflushed toilets.  There is also the engraved vandalism that is more prevalent in the girls’ restroom than the boys’ restroom. Through the vandalism, students are talking smack about each other, gossiping or writing unnecessary and inappropriate things on the walls.

Just this year a new restroom policy was introduced: “If you make a mess, clean it up.” Isn’t this common knowledge? Wouldn’t these students who are young adults know what restrooms are used for? You would think high school students know right from wrong when using the public restroom. They don’t. Vandalizing restrooms is in no way cool. Tarnishing school property is in no way cool. Making a restroom stall inoperative is in no way cool. West Ottawa High School students, get your act together.

To stop the vandalism in the restrooms West Ottawa High School enacted a policy this year. Some people, such as Soph. Ise Badran, think that the policy this year doesn’t really make a difference. Although, “ I think school policy helps, but it definitely doesn’t stop all of the issues. Students will continue to break rules,” Badran said. The root of the vandalism in the restrooms is the students. In both the boys’ and girls’ restrooms there has been a ridiculous amount of vandalism. From clogged dirty toilets to carved messages on the walls. This needs to stop. It’s annoying and disgusting.

Even though the policy was made this year, Badran said, “This year I feel the same way.” She still feels that the restrooms aren’t used as intended though the policy is enforced this year. People still go into the restrooms and make a mess out of it even with the policy being enforced throughout the school. Many days a week, there is a person sitting in the stalls for long periods of time even though there are others who need to use the restroom. More times than not, these students are on their phones or writing on the walls because they’re bored.

Badran also said, ”The restrooms were a helpful facility, but they weren’t always used by students as intended.” When walking into the restroom, people would want to use the restroom and not walk into a restroom filled with people loitering in the stalls and vandalizing it. Come on, students actually need to use the restroom.

We are high school students, so act like it. Being part of the West Ottawa High School community is embarrassing because of you vandalizers who don’t use the restrooms for their intended purposes. You should be embarrassed of yourself and what you are doing. Yes, you people who vandalize are outright disgusting. Doing this is not cool or funny. Frankly, it’s something to look down on, and it’s puerile behavior. Grow up. Stop being childish.

You people who vandalize and disrespect school property need to go back to preschool to have a refresher on how to use public restrooms. Is vandalizing the restroom amusing? It’s childish and definitely gives off the feeling of an elementary school kid. Even if you vandalizers think you’re trying to be “gang,” it’s definitely not giving those vibes. It gives off the impression of a rebellious little child. When looking at the vandalism it makes others roll their eyes because it’s such an annoying and childish thing to do.

   Do you want to be the school known for their nasty facilities? Well, if we don’t get our act together and treat our school community correctly, we are going to be that school. So, West Ottawa High School students, we can do more to make this school a better place to attend, such as, not vandalizing the school restrooms. As students of West Ottawa High School, we are a community. As a community we need to work together to build it up and not tear it down.

If West Ottawa High School students don’t want to use the restrooms, what about other people? Think of the staff and guests who use the restrooms and the parents and students from different schools coming to West Ottawa for certain events (sports, graduation, etc). If students of our own school community don’t want to use the restroom because of how dirty and vandalized it is. Why would they? Disrespectful of school property and disgusting. Is this how you want outsiders to view us as a school? No. Nobody wants to be viewed in this negative manner. Especially the people who work hard to run the school. West Ottawa is a great place to be part of, so give the school the respect it deserves.