Take a Potty Break, Don’t Take or Break the Potty.

An overview of controversy, maintenance, and etiquette in the bathrooms along with an Interview with Vice Principal, Mrs. Grantz

Powder Room Controversy

At least once a day, I walk into the bathroom and have to wait because there are multiple people in a stall, just hanging out, and so I have to wait in a line.  This is unnecessary and forces people to miss more of their class.  

Senior Nick Kristoff says, “There are people mainly waiting for the stalls to be open. They are outside of the stall waiting for people inside the stall to get out. The number of people is the number of stalls +2 or +4.” 

Freshman Natalya Cafasso also mentions that there are usually 3-4 people playing on their phones while others are talking with their friends.

Both the boys and girls bathrooms are often used incorrectly and it results in unnecessarily inconveniencing a lot of other people.

Powder Room Maintenance

Some people throw toilet paper all over the bathroom at their friends, trying to be funny, but it’s a waste of toilet paper and inconveniences other people!  

Senior Bryn Krason says “On three separate occasions when I was going to the bathroom there was no toilet paper in the stall. If it was only one time, I would be fine with that, but three separate occasions is an inconvenience. I know the upstairs bathrooms are shut down for another reason, but someone should account for the bathroom traffic going down stairs.”  

Plus, the misuse and waste of toilet paper adds a lot of unnecessary work for our school’s janitors.

Also, is it really necessary to put a cardboard box in a toilet?  What about an apple in the sink or urinal?

“I have found food like apples in the toilets and on the sinks,” said Cafasso.

Powder Room Etiquette

For some reason, certain teenagers enjoy flicking the lights in the bathroom and whenever the lights are off in the bathroom, it gets fairly dark.  Although this doesn’t necessarily cause harm, man is it an inconvenience.  It is evident that this makes it hard to see, so the right thing to do would be to… not flicker the lights.

There has been an issue recently with students stealing things from the school and the bathroom situation has been greatly affected by this “trend”.  Stealing things from the bathroom is only going to hurt the student body because the faculty has their own bathrooms.  But also, don’t steal because it’s undeniably illegal.  

Similarly, don’t vandalize the bathrooms because that’s damage to the school’s property…. Which is also illegal.

Cafasso said, “I don’t understand why some people don’t have any manners ~ like seriously girls, how hard is it to wipe your pee off the seat. And also if you get blood somewhere, WIPE IT UP!! It’s not that complicated.  Keep in mind that somebody has to clean those bathrooms and additionally teachers use them too.”

Student Guide to Being a Superb Powder Room Client

1. Don’t hang out in the bathroom. 
2. Don’t vandalize the walls.
3. Don’t throw toilet paper everywhere.
4. Don’t leave garbage on the floor.
5. Don’t flicker the lights.
6. Don’t leave weird things in the bathroom.
7. Don’t steal things.
8. Don’t make a mess.
9. Go to the bathroom in the toilets and urinals only.