Each and every tally inscribed on a bathroom stall has a consequence, however CCHS is only punishing those who work at night to clean up students’ messes. 

Amidst the rising vandalism crisis at Cathedral Catholic, bathrooms were shut down across campus. Down the halls, bathrooms were sealed shut with tape and black tarps, forcing students to leave class in search of bathrooms that are open.

In response to the continuing wreckage occurring in the bathrooms, Principal Conroy’s solution of the bathroom sign-out sheet was put in effect in late March. It is practically May and most of the student restrooms are still unavailable for access.

Despite the clear measurements taken by the CCHS faculty, the restroom defacing continued to spread across campus, with bathrooms in Drexel, Cabrini, and Assisi being closed off. In fact, the restrictions placed against students only seemed to encourage vandalism rather than prevent it. 

    On Wednesday, April 6, the upstairs girl’s bathrooms in Assisi were shut down without explanation. Students were both shocked and confused as to the reason why they were closed, but simple recollection brings to mind the pattern of bathrooms that have been closing. 

    With the bathrooms closed, students must either leave the building or descend the stairs from their floor to use the restroom. This is an inconvenience for both the students and the teachers who lose extra time educating their students, who in turn may miss valuable information from their courses. 

    While there have been no clear signs of a culprit, all students alike, from graduating seniors to freshmen who have not even a year of experience on Cathedral’s campus, must recognize the hard work of the facilities staff.

    The CCHS facility staff works tirelessly to provide students and teachers a clean campus that members of the CCHS community can be proud of. Students’ constant vandalism not only requires the already hardworking maintenance to work even harder, but it also results in students losing bathroom privileges, whether or not they took part in the vandalism. 

    This blatant disregard for the CCHS campus clearly points to the entitlement students on campus have. This lack of respect for the campus itself, and those who work nights to clean up students’ careless messes need to be put to an end. 

As a community, CCHS claims to abide by the motto, “this is our house”, but how can we, as a collective say this motto is being carried out, as it is clearly not by us as students? 

    There is a large amount of inaccessible bathrooms on campus. This form of group punishment affects those who have done no harm to the campus grounds. Students who are the root of this issue should atone for these choices. 

    As the bathrooms remain closed and the tensions begin to fade, apologies are in order for the maintenance staff of Cathedral Catholic High School. Apologies that are long overdue, especially from the students who caused these effects.