“Horrible.” “Gross.” “Messy.” Those are just some words scholars have used to describe our NSA bathrooms. Although some argue that the bathrooms work well enough and are decently sanitary, others think they are the most disgusting and vile restrooms they have ever used. 

For the boys bathroom, the boys seem to agree that there is much room for improvement. “The missing urinal dividers are a big problem,” 5th Grade Zachary spoke out. “Boys need privacy to feel comfortable while in the bathrooms.” 

Boys have also mentioned that the stalls are too easy to climb and that other scholars climb over the stalls, which is a major safety issue and an invasion of privacy which should be stopped immediately.

 “The walls that go around the stalls are surprisingly short,” 4th grader Nicholas acknowledges. However, this is not the district’s fault. The people using the bathrooms need to remember that they should not be acting unscholarly and looking over the stalls in the first place. 

Although the boys complain that their bathrooms are atrocious, they do not always treat the bathroom well. Ms. Maria, our school janitor, says she consistently has to check and clean both bathrooms. “It would be very helpful if someone could report who caused the mess,” says Ms. Maria. She also states that she thinks there should be at least one bathroom monitor. 

Additionally, both bathrooms lack paper towels. Some students don’t even dry their hands because they don’t like the hand dryers. 5th Grader Abby said, “Many students prefer paper towels so they should definitely be added.” One very awful problem is that people have been throwing paper towels at the walls and ceilings. But, scholars should not have thrown wet paper towels at the ceiling because that is what caused them to get taken away. 

Both bathrooms also have either a dirty or broken mirror. Although scholars have said that boys never use it, that is not true in the girls’ bathroom. The girls bathroom also is out of soap often which is very unhygienic and unsafe. “I often have to go to 5 soap dispensers before finding one that actually works,” says 8th grader Austen. 

Since part of the bathroom wall is where students play wall ball there are often deafening noises and vibrations running through the girls bathroom especially in the morning or during lunch or snack. Plus, there is a metal vent in that wall that often makes loud pinging sounds when it is hit. The floors are very dirty. They are very slippery and mucky.  “Every day the floors are covered in water and who knows what else.” 3rd Grader Tabby explains. 

But it isn’t all bad; the bathrooms are perfectly functionable and very accessible. Almost all toilets and sinks work as well.“The bathrooms aren’t the best, but people need to lower their expectations. It’s only a school bathroom,”says 8th Grader Jackie. 

However, there is a way to make the bathrooms better and that depends on us to fix this mess literally and figuratively. It is not something that only the district or student council can fix, but something the students can. We need to start treating our bathrooms better. Like keeping the bathroom cleaner and not using unscholarly behavior. It will make things easier for Ms. Maria, teachers, and the rest of us!