Everyone has experienced the disappointing situation of wanting to sit down on a bus or in school, only to find an unsanitary mess occupying the seat.
Trash is left in classrooms, in the hallway, in the cafeteria, in bathrooms, and even around the school building much too often. In an environment where everyone is supposed to be sharing materials, learning, and receiving an education, students are treating the grounds they spend most of their time in way too carelessly by leaving their garbage on the floors and tables.
By now, everyone has a Townsend Harris agenda. The first few pages are dedicated to the expected code of conduct that a THHS student must uphold. In it, there is a rule that is largely overlooked by students under the “Dining Hall” subtitle. The bullet point reads, “Students will dispose of all their garbage before the end of the band using appropriate containers for liquid, non-liquid and recyclable refuse.” When I go down to the cafeteria at the start of my lunch band, not once have I seen a whole room full of spotless tables. There is always something used and unsanitary on either the floor or the table. Students who leave their lunch trays, used tissues, and other miscellaneous items for the next set of people to step foot in the cafeteria are making it more inconvenient for others who use it.
THHS is privileged to have a devoted custodial staff that makes sure the facilities are clean and presentable, but it is disrespectful to blatantly leave and ignore trash on purpose when it is obviously supposed to be discarded. Although some students might rely on other people cleaning up after their mess, there is supposed to be a moral obligation to help and be responsible for one’s own items.
We the students, and even society as a whole, are capable of little tasks like these. It is a problem seeing people disregarding the building when it is a place they need to take care of. As long as you’re using the resources, do your share. It can be as simple as taking your lunch tray and bringing it to a garbage bin, which is certainly accessible within the school. How hard can it be? If we can do collaterals and take AP classes, we can definitely leave the school and city greater than we found it, one step at a time.
