Calling for cleaner habits

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By Lorin Alukonis

Clean-Up /Whilst students are enjoying their lunch, custodians help pick up excess trash around the campus. Staff threw away any leftover wrappers to help keep the school tidy. Photo by Lorin Alukonis

As the student population grows, the campus constantly needs more help with maintenance. With a student count of 3,500, the limited amount of custodians and staff makes it difficult to manage lunches and passing periods.

“As administrators, we don’t mind having conversations with students every day about cleaning up after themselves, but we have begun to wonder how many conversations we need to have before they start wanting to clean up after themselves,” Vice Principal Mrs. Barlow said. “We have such great custodians who are constantly understaffed, so just taking care of our own messes really helps them.”

Administrators held a Coronado Clean-up day on Friday, Feb. 28 after school from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m.. Service hours were available for all students, and students were encouraged to bring cleaning supplies along with friends and family to alleviate the mess throughout the school. The event consisted of about 144 students, faculty and administrators who contributed to the change. Not only did the event help the custodians time-wise but more work was completed; volunteers helped clean areas that would take the faculty nearly a week to clean it alone.

“At the Coronado Clean-up on Friday, the students who stayed were horrified to see how some of their classmates leave our school,” Barlow said. “For some of them, I think, it was the first time they really stopped to see how little bits of trash really add up to a big mess, and they were awesome at clearing it off of the campus.”

Although small projects and community service activities can keep things tidy, cleanliness won’t last forever. Helping out around the school matters. Small things such as picking up trash left behind on the tables makes a huge difference when everyone does it; cleaning after lunch greatly benefits the limited custodians and keeps eating areas clean in between lunches. 

“Since I sit outside, I throw away my trash and other tables’ trash because there is no one else to do it,” sophomore Olivia Morris said. “It is not a big deal just to throw wrapper away so I think everyone should do their part.”

Many clubs and extracurriculars, including the track team have already contributed to the efforts. The athletes used garbage bags and made their way around the Cougar Stadium removing any debris and food wrappers on the bleachers. Other sports such as the golf and volleyball teams have helped in the gym and locker rooms. National Honor Society (NHS), Korean Club, and Mu Alpha Theta have also made their best efforts to help admin in cleaning.

“It’s as simple as making sure trash makes it into the garbage can, and if the trash misses the can, take the extra few seconds to pick it up off the ground and make sure it gets into the can,” Barlow said.

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Lorin Alukonis, junior, is excited for her first year as the features editor on “The Roar” news staff. She enjoys playing club and high school volleyball in her free time as well as late night drives with her friends. Her favorite types of music to listen to are indie pop and throw-back 2000s songs; she also loves meeting new people and becoming friends with everyone. One of her life goals is to explore Europe and learn about the fascinating history and culture.