Courtesy of Anabeth Bostrup
Convent of the Sacred Heart is a home away from home for its students, so why should they be living in a mess? In Fall of 2013, juniors and seniors were thrilled to hear they would be able to eat lunch in the Core Center. Since September, an average of 50 upperclassmen girls enjoy the privilege of eating in there every day.
But it seems that as the months pass, the short walk back to the cafeteria to return used plates and glasses is becoming too much for the students. Teachers and faculty have been discovering more and more left-behind plates, and now it has reached the point where the Core Center is becoming dirty.
Ms. Karen Panarella, Dean of Upper School Students, had to send email warnings to Upper School students about returning lunch plates, as well as make stern morning meeting announcements regarding the mess. When none of these warnings were heeded, and Ms. Panarella found a used plate and fork by the water fountain, the upperclassmen lost use of the Core Center for lunch for a full week.
The faculty members at Sacred Heart are not at school to be the maids. It is the students’ responsibility to clean up after themselves, and, if they want to keep their privileges, they may have to clean up after each other as well.
Of course it is not enjoyable to have to pick up other people’s dirty plates to bring back to the cafeteria, but if you see one left behind, pick it up and return it along with yours. Why wait for other people to take action when you can yourself? The Core Center is a communal space, and the students should take pride in keeping it clean.
Plus, one small act of returning a used dish instead of leaving it behind can save all of the juniors and seniors from the disappointment of not being able to have lunch in the Core Center.
There is necessity in using the Core Center for lunch because there is not enough room in the student dining hall for the entire Upper School. Now that the Core Center is open, hopefully it will stay this way, and the students will recognize the need for it to stay clean in order to continue using it as an eating space.
