Everyone loves a good prank. Friendly competition is the lifeblood of the high school experience. While some crimes really are victimless, most of the “harmless” pranks that happen at our school target one group in particular: the janitorial staff. They are the front lines of all of the antics that happen at LOHS and it’s time to recognize that the level of respect this school gives them is abysmal. 

This issue was brought to our attention after an incident prior to the Battle of the Lake football game. Early in the morning the day before the game, players on the Lakeridge football team snuck onto Cobb Field and urinated on our Laker bell. While this prank was meant to be geared towards Laker football players and the larger LOHS student body, in actuality it only really affected the janitorial staff. 

Although this particular act was not one of LOHS students, it represents a larger issue in our community: entitlement. The ideology that pranks like these will warrant no consequences comes from an untouchability complex that is anything but rare in this town. It’s no secret that the stereotypes that surround our city are largely related to the issue of elitism, and we worry that pranks like these will only perpetuate this unflattering image. 

Disregard for consequences is not rare within our school community either. For instance, last year the tradition of seniors TP-ing the Tree was taken a bit too far, leaving the school in disarray after the event. Not only was toilet paper left all over the campus (including on a memorial tree for a past LOHS student) but the outdoor lunch tables were moved and stacked in the front entryway. It’s unclear who this attack was meant to target, but it’s safe to assume the class of 2024 didn’t have anything against the cleaning crew. They, however, were the true victims of this trashing. 

The trash left around the school after lunch and at football games is another sign that our school is lacking respect for the janitorial staff. We worry that our school is targeting the wrong people in their pranks and think we could all use a wakeup call to the fact that there are consequences for our actions. 

Through learning first to respect those who pick up after us, we can also learn to have more respect for each other, and possibly begin to disprove the stereotypes that our school is full of entitled kids.