While taking a stroll to the restroom, you may have noticed the unique art made by students — and I am not talking about the art made in Ms. Waggoner’s class. Graffiti has existed in Seward High for a long time, but the trend sparked particularly during this year. The creation of this “art” has became a serious problem within the high school. Not only is this vandalism of public property, but it also could be a bullying problem. Profanity, rude remarks, and overall disrespect for school property is not the type of art we want to express at Seward High.

Our principal Mr. Walker gave me his own insight on the situation that arose last spring. Unfortunately, it got worse at the beginning of this school year. During the summer, the custodians had requested new paint for the bathroom stalls. The paint peeled easily when scraped by a fingernail. Graffiti became effortless to create since students didn’t have to use sharper objects to scratch the walls. Though this case of vandalizing is greater than most, he states the problem comes in waves. There might even be a reason behind why it occurs.

One of our custodians, Penny Duncan, has to clean up after the student body nearly every day. Penny states that many students who are vandalizing have the mindset that “it’s only a bathroom,” but her point is “other people see it.” People all across Alaska show up to Seward High for sporting events and other activities. The way we treat our school is how visitors build a perspective on Seward.

The vandalism happens outside of the bathrooms, as well. Mr. Hinders has been noticing pencil drawings on the desks within his class, and there have been multiple cases of students drawing on desks in the library. During the week of December 12th, ketchup packets were strategically placed under toilet seats, which coincidentally smeared ketchup on the stalls in the bathroom. Ketchup remains also were spotted on a wall by a doorway downstairs. Another common problem has to do with trash being littered across the school, which is seen by visitors, along with the carved graffiti.

Mr. Walker notices that the graffiti problem happens mostly when students don’t feel proud of their school. The wave simmers down once there’s a new improvement within the high school, including the new gym. The graffiti occurred less that year, and didn’t happen again until this year. The staff feels very prideful of our school, as Mr. Walker says, since Seward High is “very special” in many positive ways. Most of the staff, including him, have worked in other schools that are significantly different. However, students don’t always see this. Most of the kids in Seward have not experienced other school environments, making it hard to realize how great this small school is.

Seward High School is filled with wonderful and bright people. Students can use this talent to create beautiful artwork in Ms. Waggoner’s class. If you feel the urge to draw, grab a sheet of paper instead of using the desk in front of you. Texting is also a very efficient way of communication rather than scratching the bathroom walls. Whether it’s positive or negative graffiti, vandalism is disrespectful. If all students make good choices, we can have a school environment to be proud of.