On Wednesday, October 7, Mr. Bonar stood before the school during assembly to make a special announcement: “Clean up after yourselves.” Why? He introduced Alma, the only custodian at Lakeside responsible for Vassar and the WCC, as well as the person who bears the consequences of Lakeside students’ self-leniency.

We learn, eat, and socialize on Lakeside’s spaces for all 180 days of the school year. Some of our best memories (and perhaps some of our worst) are made there. Yet, for most Lakeside students, the thought of who is responsible for the upkeep of these buildings hardly crosses our mind. 

For Alma Dedic, a utility custodian who worked in janitorial services for 30 years before joining Lakeside, the cleanliness of our campus is paramount but time-consuming. According to her, it takes approximately two hours to clean the WCC and six hours to clean Vassar. She clocks in every day at 2 p.m. and completes her work at around 10 p.m. During this time, she cleans, dusts, reorganizes, and vacuums each space. 

“After I finish everything… I see how it’s clean; everything makes me so happy,” Alma told me, smiling. In addition, Alma also noted that “Teachers are so friendly [and] make my job easy.” She added that it “makes [her] day” whenever students greet her, even if it’s just a “hi” or an inquiry into how her day has been.

So, how can Lakesiders make Alma’s job easier, even if just by a little? The obvious answer is, as Mr. Bonar declared, to clean up after yourself. 14.3% of Tatler poll respondents said they “often” clean up after themselves when eating or drinking in the WCC or Vassar, while 30.6% of respondents reported that they see students leaving cups, plates, or food in these buildings all five school days of the week. 

Student opinions on WCC and Vassar cleanliness contrast with poll results. Benjamin D.C. ’29, who goes to the WCC every day, rated cleanliness an 8 out of 10, saying, “I don’t see that many messes.” Karson X. ’27, who visits the building once or twice a week, gave the same rating, though he mentioned there is “always trash on the tables [in the cafeteria].” As for Vassar, daily regular Grace L. ’28 considers it to be the “cleanest building on campus,” with a rating of 9 out of 10.

However, putting aside the frequency of cases when students don’t clean up after themselves, Lakesiders gave vastly similar reasons for why these situations occur. “It’s a common theme around campus. … People expect others to clean up after them,” said Grace. Karson attributed it to a reality of facing “no consequences.” And, as Morelle W. ’29 put it, “[Students] don’t care enough.”

But the truth remains that every time you leave behind a dessert boat or spill a glass of milk, someone else has to take care of it; namely, Alma. Alma adds that one thing that makes her job harder — something that may not be at the forefront of Lakesiders’ minds — is “moving chairs all around” in Vassar. “Sometimes [there are] not even any chairs in the lobby,” she explained. Indeed, it is common for one to walk into Vassar to see chairs arranged haphazardly on both floors. As I spoke with Grace during ACT, we observed nine chairs and even more people crammed into a single collaboration room. Whenever we choose to move chairs and desks, it is Alma who must take time to return them to their correct locations. If students can take responsibility, she says, she will have “extra time” to focus on cleaning classrooms.

Lakeside’s habit of leaving messes to others isn’t just inconvenient; it’s also a reflection of our school culture. So, the next time you pile three plates full of food at lunch, or procure seating for all seventeen people in your collaboration room, remember: Clean up after yourself!