![Colin McRaven ('24) prepares to pitch the ball to an Anclote batter during the Varsity pre-season game."I like striking people out, since it's fun. The game against Anclote was pretty easy because they were less talented than our team and [I think] we were better than them in every aspect," Colin McRaven ('24) said.](https://jwmhshoofbeat.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_1538-1200x928.jpg)
Vandalism in the bathrooms
Ever since the “Devious lick” trend on TikTok, students have been vandalizing the bathrooms around campus.
:Students started taking mirrors down in the boys’ bathrooms as a way of joining the trend on TikTok called “Devious Licks”.
December 7, 2021
During September, TikTok users started the trend called “Devious licks,” prompting students to steal something and take a video of it. Most of the videos are of students stealing things from their school like toilet paper, hand sanitizer dispensers, mirrors and even sinks. Around campus, some of the boys’ bathrooms have had to be locked from time to time because of the vandalism, and the mirrors have been taken down in these bathrooms. The vandalism has caused a change in student life with bathroom policies becoming stricter. As a result, Assistant Principal Jill Cortier (FAC) and other staff made changes to help stop the vandalism.
“We have staff duties, that each period there are staff that are assigned to those bathroom areas to check the bathrooms at various times throughout the period. Basically, on their planning period to where they are monitoring the bathrooms and checking to see who is going in and out. The adult presence curtails any of the negative behavior. At least, that’s what our goal is, and what we have seen to be true as a result of those staff being present in those areas,” Ms. Cortier said.
Students cannot go to the bathroom for the first ten minutes and last ten minutes of class, and they also must scan a QR code to track who was at the bathroom and at what time. The use of QR codes for a bathroom pass started last year when one of the bathrooms was vandalized. With the vandalism
happening more, teachers have gotten stricter on these policies. Principal Jessica Schultz (FAC) believes students are proud of their school and that the vandalism has upset them.
“I think that most Mitchell students are upset that people are vandalizing the bathrooms in different parts of campus to that it is unusable or has to be cleaned, and I think most students are proud of their school and proud to be a Mustang. I think that they are more upset than think it’s funny,” Ms. Schultz said
The vandalism hasn’t happened since the end of October. If it starts again there will be more changes to the way the bathrooms are now. Policies have recently become more enforced with an additional number of staff watch on the bathrooms. Bathrooms get locked for some time after the vandalism as well. Assistant Principal, Joel Quina (FAC) already has a plan for what will happen if the vandalism continues.
“Unfortunately, we’re kind of at the point we’re going to have to start just making centralized restrooms. where we would go down to a very small number of restrooms that are monitored by staff members the whole time. We would have to use one central location during class for everyone else to go and sign in and out. We’re just hoping it doesn’t get to that point, because obviously it’s an inconvenience for everyone because two or three people are choosing to look for attention in a negative way,” Mr. Quina said.
