Keeping it Clean

Keeping+it+Clean

Everybody is different, but I think it’s safe to say that most people like being able to sit down in a clean, sanitary place to eat. However, too many students don’t see this as a priority. Something as simple things as cleaning after yourself after you eat, can make a huge difference in our school and our community. But people have the attitude that someone else will do it, namely the custodians.

While many think the custodians’ only job is to pick up after them, they actually do so much more. Every day, Monday – Friday to be exact, Alisal opens its doors at 5:30 a.m. sharp and closes at 11:00pm. Opened by Richard Esparza and closed by Roberto Nichols, the school is open for over 17 hours a day.

The school is divided to equal sections and each section has a custodian in charge of keeping it clean. Clean for the mornings, passing periods, lunch, after lunch, afternoons, and then finally closing time for night shifts. With a total of 10 custodians, their work together helps make Alisal a clean, presentable learning environment. Their abilities, to help keep maintenance, secure safety, and guard our school which allows both the students and staff to walk through campus happily and freely.

The custodians’ daily tasks include, not just cleaning but maintenance like covering up graffiti, fixing school equipment, restocking the soap and toilet paper, and desks. Ceasar Mejia, a two year groundsman explains his attitude, “We don’t really ask for much, it’d be so much easier to have students pick up after themselves. We’re not asking them to go around school and pick up trash, but by having them simply pick up after their mess, Alisal could be a lot more presentable.  It’s because I also want students to look at their school and take pride to see it nice and clean, because that can also translate to their classrooms.”

Unfortunately, custodians spend a bulk of their time cleaning up after students.  Custodians won’t be there to clean up after you, neither will your parents or teachers, so it’s time to stop making excuses for your laziness and simply make yourself and everyone else a favor by cleaning up after yourself. Because if it wasn’t for our laziness (yes, I say “our” because the “some” that do it end up ruining it for everyone else), our high school could have been (for us seniors) and could be still a lot better. Instead of cleaning up lunch tables or covering up graffiti, they could be planting new plants, putting up new white boards, fixing up conditioning systems, among other, more productive activities.

Yet, it’s a paradox because we all like having, being, around nice sanitary places yet the only true argument there is might be because of laziness or peer pressure. Lazy to pick up after yourself, or either too embarrassed to be the only one to stand up and throw away your food. And yes, you can do as you please, but not when your self-centeredness ends up affecting others.

There is a stone facing the 600 classrooms which reads, “Be the change that you want to see in the world.”  So, become a part of the change and pick up after yourself.   We showed at the beginning of the year we could do it, we just need to make it last all year, not just a week.