Vandalism is a persistent irritation at our high school. The 2010-2011 school year was particularly troublesome. Along with the usual nagging destruction in restrooms, there was also a much more serious incident—a fire. These negligent acts of destruction are detrimental to the school environment and can have very serious consequences.

On April 6, a student set a fire in the men’s restroom in the commons area at approximately 3:30 p.m. The school was evacuated and at least two fire departments responded. The student was later charged with second degree arson. Incidents such as this pose a very serious risk not only to students and faculty, but to the community.

I personally feel that the intervention and awareness of other students is one of the most effective ways to combat vandalism at the high school. Principal Bob Wilmoth stated, “We simply do not have the staff to place someone in the restrooms.” The student body must take it upon itself to ensure that our high school remains a safe, clean and orderly place to learn.

The janitors directly deal with incidents of vandalism. Should those responsible for the destruction be caught, they should be the ones who clean up whatever mess was made and be held financially responsible for any damage. The lack of a paper towel or soap dispenser is no fault of the janitors. Students have no one to blame but their classmates. I can assure you that the janitors are here well into the night toiling away to keep our school clean. The vandalism situation would definitely change if the immature students responsible for the problems spent every night cleaning our high school.

At least once a month, it seems, a men’s restroom is closed. This is very frustrating, and hinders punctuality. Principal Wilmoth also stated, “The closing of restrooms is ‘streaky.’ It seems that there are two or three weeks where nothing happens and then, out of the clear blue, there are two or three days where the janitors are replacing soap dispensers and closing restrooms.” Once again, if other guys in the restrooms would “man-up” these incidents would become less frequent. Anonymous tips would greatly help the administration in working to end random, petty vandalism in our school. Those students who value their surroundings need to hold their classmates responsible and help put a stop to the irrational destruction of our school.