Last school year, the “devious lick” trend took over TikTok and encouraged students to commit various acts of vandalism around their school. A similar trend is happening this year, but it has so far been limited to school bathrooms.
This past September, the boys bathroom in Holloway was vandalized and temporarily shut down.
The vandalization in the bathroom included the signs and soap dispenser not only being taken off of the wall, but also put into the toilet.
World Language teacher and Upper School Dean Kyle McGimsey said that it is frustrating and creates more work for the cleaning staff.
“It is a sign of a lack of respect for what they do and for how hard they work,” McGimsey said.
McGimsey is not the only one who feels this way, as he said that other teachers feel frustrated with the situation as well.
Senior Charlie Lehr said that when he went to use the bathroom in Stuart there was vandalization on the mirror.
“I remember I went to the bathroom one day in the language building and it said ‘GOD IS DEAD’… and I was like, “Why would you do that? It’s not really doing anything, it’s just kind of annoying, because the bathrooms are going to be closed”,” Lehr said.
Due to the vandalization, teachers and the cleaning staff have had to check the bathrooms more often. McGimsey said that teachers are checking the bathrooms more frequently and that they are working with security as well.
Head of cleaning staff Jeff Sneed said that it is disrespectful to the school and to the males on campus. Fortunately, there has not been any vandalization for a couple of weeks now.
“[The vandalization] becomes a cost effect now. You know, tissue paper, hand towels, soap, everything has a cost to it and so as far as that, it kind of throws the budget off per say, and also for the staff, that makes them have to work even harder… [and] it’s time consuming,” Sneed said.
McGimsey said that the vandalization doesn’t represent the majority of the male students at Trinity and that all shouldn’t be punished for the vandalization.
“[Mr. Sneed] convinced me that we need to trust that the vast majority of us are going to do the right thing and that the individual or individuals who have been making this choice will maybe think better,” McGimsey said.
