You shouldn't need to be told to wash your hands. So why don't some Santa Fe High School students do it?

Perhaps it's that only one in four sinks turns on in the girls bathroom in the bottom of A-building. On more than one occasion, this lonely sink is slathered with drying fluid from some unknown spew, or covered in hair from some unknown creature. There is one stall with a lock, three broken sinks and four girls trying to go to the bathroom in the five minutes before they have to get to their next class. There's simply not enough time for every girl to wash her hands.

Yes. Three girls are not washing their hands.

"It's disgusting," said one anonymous bathroom-goer.

These unclean hands, however, are one thing that can't entirely be blamed on the students. Students are responsible for grades, attendance, homework, personal hygiene and keeping their minds and bodies functioning while zipping and zooming through days and years at school. They are not responsible for carrying around soap or hand sanitizer to feel safe and healthy at school.

According to General Services, the maintenance department of Santa Fe Public Schools, it's Santa Fe High's job to report maintenance issues like broken sinks and exploding toilets. The custodial staff is responsible for refilling soap dispensers and paper towels, but it's up to the principal to get the message across to General Services for any repairs to occur.

Principal Robert Stephens claims to be unaware of any dire situation in the bathrooms at SFHS. When told that the bathrooms in the Business Center have been lacking soap for more than two years, he said, "That has been reported."

A flurry of misunderstandings and miscommunications flows around the bathroom issue. Maintenance claims they haven't received reports of problems. The principal claims he has filed requests for repairs, and that no action has been taken.

Meanwhile, three sinks are broken in the girls bathroom in the bottom of A-building. There is a toilet that explodes when you flush it in the boys bathroom in the bottom of A-building. The mirrors in the BC are plates of dented, scratched metal. The soap dispensers there are filled with years-old soap. The doors to many of the stalls in several bathrooms have gaping holes where their locks used to be. Crusty, neon gobs of gum slather the edges of the doors, marking several attempts at gaining a private moment on the toilet seat.

The bathrooms we frequent are extravagant and supremely hygienic compared to much of the world. And yet, a pang of frustration is inevitable when one waves futile hands underneath a high-technology sink that refuses to activate.

Perhaps it's being so close to having a fully-functional institution that arouses the frustration. Perhaps it's because the exploding toilet just relieved itself all over your hands. Perhaps you've been contaminated with germ-fear. But maybe, it's because you actually believe that it's important to wash your hands.

Lucy Ohlsen is a senior at Santa Fe High School. You can reach her at limefreak44@cybermesa.com.