One of the top private schools in Los Angeles, Marlborough is able to send one-hundred percent of its hard-working students to prestigious colleges throughout the nation and beyond. Many successful alumnae hold their alma mater in high regard and have sent their daughters to attend the School for that reason, leaving long legacies of women who are proud of being able to call themselves Violets. As a result, there are high expectations for students attending Marlborough that go beyond academics and extracurricular activities. Despite that, there seems to be deviation from these high expectations that is so prevalent and has been for some time that it’s become one of the characteristics that define the “stereotypical Marlborough girl.” I am, of course, talking about the lack of attention to basic hygienic needs and, dare I say, duties.

How is it that the students of one of Los Angeles’s most exclusive private schools, which is reputed for its first-class education, accomplished extracurricular clubs, teams and organizations, and boasts about the achievements of its talented students and faculty, can forget to do something so simple as flushing a toilet? How about the little clumps of hair lying around in every nook and cranny of the school from people leaving their hairbrushes all over the place? Not to mention the used socks and bras that end up sitting in the lost-and-found, going unclaimed for who knows how long. On top of that, students have been known to leave their trash around the School, not only leaving them for someone else to clean up, but potentially harming the environment, should the wind or some animal pick them up before anyone else does.

Maybe none of this stuff affects an individual student directly, but the student body as a whole needs to become aware that at the end of the day, the pristine school is only pristine for a reason; there are people who stay late after dark washing the floors, emptying trash cans, wiping down tables and railings, scrubbing toilets, and, yes, picking up after forgetful or careless students. Any Marlborough student should know that little things, from turning in homework everyday on-time to memorizing the details of your notes in order to be fully prepared for that one big test that has practically meant the world to you for the last week and a half, all add up. The same goes for those small little things that you really shouldn’t forget to do, considering these are all lessons that (should) have been taught to you since you were at least five-years-old. Those small instances of neglect end up piling up on those who have to pick up after you, and the result is more work for them, and a less clean environment for you and your peers.

The solutions are simple. Pick up your trash, and throw it away in the proper place. There are multiple trash cans in every hallway at the School, so there’s no excuse not to, since it’s likely the nearest trash can is literally a few steps away. With hairbrushes, you can bring a toiletry bag or a ziploc bag to keep it in, to ensure that you’re not shedding all over everyone else. We all understand that losing hair is very common and natural, and one strand of hair here and there is excusable. What’s truly disgusting is when little hair monsters have fallen out of your hair brushes and all over somebody else’s stuff. Bringing a bag for your extra clothes is also recommended, since it’s really not fair to have other people handle our used, forgotten underwear. And seriously, flush the toilets. It’s not just a matter of toilets not working, because there have been many times when I have flushed perfectly working toilets with someone else’s excretion rotting away in it. It’s really not that hard to remember, and it should honestly be a habitual instinct to flush a toilet after you use it, plain and simple. If it isn’t, I recommend practicing at home, where you’d be unable to hide behind the cloak of anonymity and properly reprimanded because you’re a teenager who still can’t flush a toilet. I hope that’ll help you remember in the long run. And if you are worried about a toilet not working, here’s a tip: flush it before you use it to make sure it works. If it doesn’t, let someone know and put up a sign. In the end, everyone will appreciate the small, extra effort you make to making our lives on campus cleaner.