By Elizabeth Wakulsky
The Viking Longboat
Haslett HS
1st Place
Division 3, News Writing
Editorial
You know, it sure would be nice to not have to dress like an Eskimo to come to this igloo of a school every day. Or maybe it would be a pleasant change of pace to have doors on the bathroom stalls that actually lock so we can pee without being nervous someone is going to barge in. Or heck, maybe even sinks that work properly and some soap dispensers that actually have soap in them so we don’t spread germs and diseases.
We get it, money is tight. But come on, when did the condition of our school become so unimportant to our administrators?
As students, we spend a large amount of our young adult life on the grounds of this high school. And for that reason alone, you’d think the staff and school board would do everything in their power to ensure the safety and comfort of students.
Instead of finding money to fix the barely functioning bathrooms or temperamental heat systems, school officials have made it clear that setting up cameras that don’t seem to be working and tending to the performing arts center is much higher on their list of priorities. “There hasn’t been locks in the girls bathroom by the cafeteria in I don’t know how long,” junior Lexie Garcia said.
Completely redesigning the bathrooms is obviously easier said than done. But our custodians should at least try to make sure that there are locks on the doors or soap to wash our hands with and toilet paper in every stall so we don’t have to awkwardly ask to borrow some from the person next to us.
“People from other schools that come with teams for sports events must just feel embarrassed for us. I would pity us if I saw our bathrooms from another school,” Garcia said.
We, the longboat staff, fail to understand why the questionable condition of our school is not being tended to. Obviously our community cannot afford to update every lacking aspect of this high school. But essential things like heat and bathroom facilities should always be up to par.
Students should be proud to say they go to Haslett, not embarrassed to be learning in a dump. We’re not asking for much, just the maintenance of safe and humane conditions that we all are entitled too.