Noticed any trash on campus? Have you thrown any on the floor? Have you picked any trash up? Lincoln Lion Tales interviewed the Lincoln custodian, Richard Goins, who has tried to keep up with picking up trash.

According to Richard, sixteen cases of trash bags are ordered monthly for the school trash cans. There are about forty to forty-five trash cans on campus. The trash bags in the trash cans are changed daily. Richard said that he finds the most amount of trash after lunch, at the quad. He sees quite a few students throwing trash on the floor daily. Richard would just like it if students picked their own trash up.

Lincoln Lion Tales interviewed a Sophomore at Lincoln named Lizeth Millán Robles. Lizeth believes that it is really ¨disgusting¨ for a school to have trash since it is supposed to have a safe environment. She sees the most amount of trash during lunch and when walking to class. She finds the most amount of trash at the quad and in the grass area in front of the school.

Lizeth has not seen any students throw trash on the ground this 2018-2019 school year. She assumes that 10 students per day throw trash on the ground. Lizeth admits that she throws trash on the ground and picks up trash when she wants to.

Lincoln Lion Tales searched through the archives and found two stories that had a focus on trash.

The first story that was found called Metal, glass and paper wanted was about a Recycling Club at Lincoln. This story was published on February 27, 1976 and talks about the Recycling Club collecting metal containers and empty glass. The club turned into a Recycling Center and opened two Saturdays a month, which was located in the parking lot across Lincoln.

The second story found in the archives is called Vandalism takes away beauty which was published on April 14, 1978. This story talks about vandalism at Lincoln. The story gives examples about the vandalism at campus, such as writing on the bathroom stalls and desks and trash found in the quad and cafeteria after lunch.

It seems through our research that trash has always been a problem at Lincoln.

Sierra Gordon, a chemistry teacher at Lincoln, was interviewed by Lincoln Lion Tales and said she absolutely hates trash inside her classroom. Ms. Gordon said that she has three recycling bins in her classroom that act as trash cans. Richard mentioned that these trash bags are changed daily by the night crew.

On a regular school day, Ms. Gordon picks up trash from the floor three to four times a week. On a block day, when her class has a paper lab, she tends to pick up trash twelve times per period. She even finds chewed gum on the floor.

Since Ms. Gordon never leaves her classroom which she calls a “cave,” she only finds trash during fifth period, which is her free period. During this time she finds the custodian picking up trash at the quad and it makes her upset. When she sees a student throwing trash on the floor, she looks the student directly in their eyes and asks, “What would your mother say if this was her house?”

Ms. Gordon’s message to students is, “I just would love it if the kids on campus would respect the school the way that they respect their own spaces.”