The former student was diagnosed with substance use disorder — specifically alcohol use disorder — as a sophomore at Gunn. After they completed a rehabilitative inpatient program, they transferred out of Gunn and are currently in early sustained remission. According to the “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision,” a patient is in early sustained remission if, within a year, they have not had symptoms of alcohol use disorder other than the urge to drink alcohol.

Throughout their years at Gunn, the former student struggled with the early stages of their addiction, which gave way to active addiction, or active substance use disorder, defined by the DSM-5-TR as “patterns of symptoms caused by using a substance that an individual continues taking despite its negative effects.” “People who aren’t affected by substance use disorder — people who aren’t addicts — are going to break their heads trying to understand what it’s like,” they said.

To many, “Don’t do drugs” sounds simple enough — it’s as easy as just saying no. Students are often taught the street names and psychological and physiological effects of various substances in middle school so they know exactly what to avoid and why. They encounter YouTube thumbnails with jarring before-and-after images of heroin addicts. These scare tactics should discourage young adults from future drug use, but ultimately don’t: An anonymous Paly senior who also struggled with alcohol use disorder emphasizes that addiction is often unexpected, and not a conscious choice. “People think it’s the life someone wanted to live, but it’s not,” they said.

The stakes of substance abuse disorder have become especially clear in recent years. According to the California Department of Education, fentanyl deaths accounted for more than 80% of all drug-related deaths among California’s youth in 2021, and the annual crude mortality rate for opioid overdoses in Santa Clara County in 2021 increased by 73% from 2019. In response, PAUSD has implemented staff opioid trainings and fentanyl overdose prevention and harm reduction strategies. Although the district doesn’t condone substance use, its response reflects knowledge of student use, according to Assistant Principal Harvey Newland. “It’s naïve to assume that students do not engage in any substance use over the course of their time at Gunn,” he said.

The American Addiction Centers cite “proximity to substances” as a risk factor for addiction, alongside aggressive behavior in childhood, parental neglect, poverty and peer pressure. However, the Paly senior says it’s not that simple. “A lot of people who use substances never become addicted,” they said. “You don’t know you’re going to be an addict until you are an addict.”

After completing a recovery program in an inpatient treatment center this past summer, the Paly senior is now five months sober. “I have a good set of therapists, my parents have been supportive and my friends have been supportive,” they said. “But at the end of the day, sobriety is one of those things where it has to come from within. Nobody can force anyone else to get sober.”

Mental health complexities

Many explanations of addiction fail to address it with appropriate complexity or confuse addiction with misuse. “Substance misuse and irresponsible use of substances is common and well-understood, but treatment for actual substance use disorders is completely misunderstood,” the former Gunn student said. “A lot of high school students misuse substances, but not a lot have substance use disorders, which is why people don’t understand them fully.”

Often, addiction is framed as a result of bad choices. Although the former Gunn student acknowledges the detrimental choices they made while struggling with alcohol use disorder, they explained that such choices were a result of the addiction, not the other way around. “On one hand, I put myself into a spot where I was severely addicted to alcohol, and I could’ve chosen to stop and put actual effort into recovery earlier on,” they said. “It was my fault, but when I was in a state of active addiction, I had no control over myself. I didn’t even know myself. I was barely a person.”

Psychology teacher Warren Collier explains that addiction at its most fundamental level is a product of repeated and regular drug use. “Usually, a person is using some kind of drug to achieve some kind of high or some pleasurable experience, and they enjoy it,” he said. “They go back and try it again because they want more of that experience, and if that happens over a short period of time, they will start to develop a tolerance and use more.”

Many substances, such as opioids, cocaine and nicotine, cause dopamine to flood the brain’s reward pathway. The brain remembers this flood and associates it with the substance. According to Collier, after a significant period of consistent drug use, students’ brains are no longer able to achieve the emotions or high without external assistance — the drug.

The Paly senior’s experiences with alcohol use disorder reflect this phenomenon. “I started drinking because it was a good time,” they said. “It was something to make the bad thoughts go away. Then, it ramped up, and I would think to myself, ‘I can make it more fun if I drink more.’ And that’s when I became dependent on it, so I couldn’t stop having fun, even if I wanted to. And then it stopped being fun.”

The Paly senior also began using cocaine at the end of their sophomore year. What began as an experiment with some friends turned into addiction. “I was spending a couple hundred dollars a week on it,” they said. “I accidentally detoxed at work one time because I miscalculated how much coke I had that day. I was throwing up in the bathroom at work. And after that day, I said, ‘Screw this. I can’t do it anymore.’ So I told my friends, ‘You need to keep me in check, I’m not doing this anymore.’”

Individuals are sometimes able to pull themselves out of addiction on their first try. Sometimes, they aren’t. The former Gunn student went to an inpatient rehabilitation center twice before exiting active addiction. Either way, both the Paly senior and the former Gunn student were supported by empathetic people around them who encouraged them on their distinctive paths to recovery.

Sometimes, mental-health struggles can lead to substance abuse. The Paly senior explains that their addiction developed partially due to depression. “I didn’t think I was going to have a future,” they said. “If you want to have the best year of your life and nothing past that, you should do a whole bunch of drugs. But if you want more than a year — you want a life — then drugs aren’t an option.”

The former Gunn student used substances as a coping mechanism for mental-health struggles as well. “I was at the worst point in my life with my mental health, and I found that being intoxicated distracted me from the reality of my situation,” they said.

A 2005 research paper published in the National Library of Medicine explored the comorbidity of substance use disorder and mood disorders. The researchers ultimately pointed to psychiatric treatment, which tackles both substance use disorder alongside the mental health issues that commonly occur simultaneously or are the root cause of addiction. “Nobody says they’re going to be an addict for fun,” the former Gunn student said. “Usually, they have an outside problem that they want to cover up. A lot of people’s way of coping is with drugs.”

Supporting students

According to Newland, the Gunn administration has no standardized protocol for supporting students with substance use disorder. In general, administrators first try to holistically assess the student’s situation and the factors contributing to their substance use through a Student Success Team meeting involving families, counselors, administrators and teachers. “It’s really up to them in terms of what they want to share with us,” Newland said. “We need to work with whatever we are given and come up with support and resources that we can provide.”

He explained, however, that situations which place students in urgent harm must be dealt with immediately under mandated-reporting rules for staff. “If something comes up that falls under the guidelines set for Gunn teachers and administrators, we have to report it and follow that exact protocol,” he said. “Administrators are not required to intervene beyond the protocol.”

The former Gunn student noted that, in their case, these protocols were not always helpful. “I appreciate that (Gunn administration) has been understanding and tried to see it as a mental health condition,” they said. “But aside from one counselor, I have not received any support or outreach from them — not when I was in active addiction, nor when I came back from rehab.”

The severity of addiction also informs staff response. “Are you calling paramedics?” Newland said. “How immediate is the situation? Those types of questions guide us in how we provide resources and move forward in supporting the student.”

Na

Regardless of the level of severity of a student’s substance use, both the Paly senior and the former Gunn student believe that schools should intervene with empathy. “I was lucky to have that one counselor who really empathized with me,” the former Gunn student said. “He was in contact with my (parents) a lot and understood the mental health aspect of (addiction). But if he wasn’t there and the Gunn administration didn’t have his input, I think the administration would’ve thought I was just a lost cause.”

Sometimes, this means repeated check-ins with students. “If someone was caught with a (wax) pen in their hand, the administration would confiscate it, send a letter home and maybe enforce disciplinary action,” the former Gunn student said. “But also make them meet with the counselor. Make them meet with one of the school therapists. (Students) should be able to see that it’s not normal to feel the need to be intoxicated at 11 a.m. More times than not, substance use is about mental health.”

According to the Wellness Outreach Worker Rossana Castillo, the Wellness Team’s first step when supporting a student suffering from addiction is to identify the origin of their substance abuse, whether it’s emotional or mental. While Gunn Wellness can provide immediate and short-term support, in situations where students require specialized treatment, the team works to connect the student and their family to long-term specialized resources.

The Wellness Team also highly encourages students to notify the wellness staff or any trusted adult when a friend may be struggling with substance abuse disorder. They will connect the struggling student to resources as well as connect with their friend to ensure that they don’t carry the load of supporting their friend on their own.

Despite the sport’s CIF approval, the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League — the high school sports conference that includes Gunn — decided to hold off on implementation until the Fremont Union High School District and Santa Clara Unified School District acquired the funds they needed to start their respective programs. This decision means that schools in the SCVAL conference won’t be adding girls flag football to their official schedules for this school year.

Still, girls flag football will be a club sport this year, associated with the school but not an official seasonal sport or league member. This makes scheduling practices slightly more flexible. “(One of our) big problems is determining when (the team) will have a place to play,” Johansen said. “Since it’s a club sport, they’ll be able to practice on Sundays when school-sanctioned practices can’t happen.”

Once the field times are established, the next issue will be confirming a team coach. Currently, JLS Middle School P.E. teacher Molly Flanagan is set to coach girls flag football, but she has yet to meet the team. Finding a coach wasn’t easy — several of the girls interested in constructing the team, including senior Ashley Sarkosh, reached out to multiple teachers at Gunn before Flanagan came on board. “We asked some teachers, and they already had other clubs or their hands were too full,” Sarkosh said.

Senior Ruth Jaquette also emphasized the importance of having a women’s sport coached by a woman. “A lot of girls have reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, is this real? Because I would totally be willing to join,’” she said. “It’s great that girls can take the lead and (have) coaches who can be positive female role models, because we need more women coaching women’s sports.”

Once schools in SCVAL decide whether they are fully committed to having club teams, and practice schedules and coach availabilities are confirmed, teams in the conference can start playing one another. A recent meeting among SCVAL’s athletic directors on Sept. 6 aimed to curate a list of schools with students interested in a girls flag football team. “We (have gotten a) good idea of which schools will establish the club,” Johansen said. “Then we can make sure that we’re in contact with each other and make a contact list. Hopefully, we can even determine when they would like to play.” As of now, Milpitas High School has a club team, and Palo Alto High School will have one in the spring semester.

Prospective flag football players originally hoped to begin this fall, but the season is almost half-over. While most logistics of girls flag football as a club sport are still being sorted out, there is no shortage of girls on campus who are interested in joining — according to Jaquette, there are over 30 girls who would like to play. Many of the interested juniors or underclassmen may watch it become an official school-sanctioned sport next school year.

To Gunn, girls flag football isn’t just a club sport. It’s an opportunity for girls to try something new and build a community. “It gives people a new opportunity to play a sport,” Johansen said. “I’ve been excited about it since I went to that first meeting in April. We wanted it (as a school-sanctioned sport) this year, especially for our seniors, but unfortunately it’ll have to be next year.”

“To my mind it is clear, that the settlement among us of an inferior race is to be discouraged by every legitimate means. Asia, with her numberless millions, sends to our shores the dregs of her population.”

So said California Gov. Leland Stanford in his inaugural address on Jan. 10, 1862. Stanford’s negative perception of the Asian population, however, didn’t stop him from employing thousands of Chinese workers in his Central Pacific Railroad Company, profiting off of their labor. Stanford’s nativism and hypocrisy is simply one of many manifestations of anti-Asian discrimination in the 19th century, including legislation such as the Page Act of 1875 and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This attitude persisted into the 1900s: Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066, for example, legalized the internment of Japanese American civilians during World War II, while U.S. servicemen mistreated Korean military brides after the Korean War.

Discrimination pervaded at a local level as well. According to “Palo Alto: A Centennial History,” a book published in 1993 by Ward Winslow and the Palo Alto Historical Association, certain land deeds in Palo Alto carried restrictions specifying that no persons of African, Japanese, Chinese or Mongolian descent were to use or occupy homes. However, the Asian population in the Bay Area persisted, from gold-miners in the 1850s to today’s engineers and computer scientists — or so the stereotype dictates. This community is continuously growing, providing a comfortable environment for new immigrants.

Assimilation and diversity

With its 46.2% Asian population, as per its 2022-23 school profile, Gunn boasts a welcoming space for Asian students. Freshman Doyoon Kim moved to Palo Alto from Seoul, South Korea, in middle school. Although she was born in San Diego, Kim moved to South Korea when she was 6 years old and had to reacclimate to American culture when she returned to California, a change made easier thanks to the deeply rooted Korean community in the Bay Area. “In a way, it’s been easier for me and my family to assimilate, since there’s a bigger Asian population and the culture here is integrated with Asian culture,” she said. “If I went to a different area with a lower Asian population, it definitely would’ve been harder for me to feel included.”

Junior Saara Doke, born and raised in the Bay, similarly finds it easier to maintain cultural practices and celebrations thanks to the large South Asian presence in the area. “There are so many places nearby in which there’s a large South Asian population, with all of these temples and places I can go for holidays,” she said. “My cousin lives in Texas and has nobody to communicate her culture with.”

Kim said that the emphasis on learning about and acknowledging diverse cultures in Palo Alto has also made her more comfortable in the local community. For example, Gunn’s annual Global Cultures Week included a multitude of events to foster interest in and teach about different languages and customs. “School life in general is really different because everybody at my Korean school is Korean and speaks Korean,” Kim said. “Here, there’s a lot of different nationalities. In the U.S., we focus a lot more on diversity than Koreans do.”

Sophomore Janus Tsen, who moved to California from Shanghai, China, in 2018, concurs that the importance the Bay Area places on inclusivity differentiates it from other places around the world. “Inclusivity and diversity are so emphasized here,” he said. “It’s a core tenet to be considered a good person.”

Microaggressions

Despite this emphasis on diversity, racism — specifically microaggressions or unconscious biases — still worms its way into Kim’s day-to-day life. “I sometimes hear people (use) slurs towards Asians,” she said. “People use (them) and don’t consider (them) to be as harsh as slurs towards Black and Hispanic people. A lot of people joke about Asian stereotypes, and sometimes it’s fine, but sometimes it’s like, ‘You’re still stereotyping Asian people in this community?’ and it’s uncomfortable.”

Doke agrees that the belief that Asians face less discrimination than other historically underrepresented groups and that slurs towards Asians aren’t as harmful is false. “A lot of people try to say that being Asian is kind of like being white, but Asian people still deal with so much discrimination that people (overlook),” she said.

What Doke refers to is known as the idea of a “proximity to whiteness,” where Asians are culturally “closer to white” than other racial minorities. While this stereotype seems to benefit the Asian community at first glance, its undertones promote disunity, suggesting that the Asian people are part of an oppressive majority and alienating them from other minorities. According to South Asian American psychotherapist Divya Kumar, many Asian Americans might be led to believe that proximity-to-whiteness is a safeguard against racism, when it isn’t.

While blatant racism toward Asians is less common in Palo Alto, other forms of harmful stereotypes exist, including that of the “perpetual foreigner.” It is a form of nativism in which some are regarded as foreigners because they belong to an ethnic or racial minority. This stereotype is often applied to those who are naturalized citizens, as well as those who have lived in the U.S. their entire lives or whose families have been in the U.S. for generations. “My (Asian) friends who are American, people ask them, ‘Where are you from?’” Kim said. “They were born and raised here. People still consider them foreigners even though they were raised American.”

The perpetual foreigner stereotype is harmful for two reasons. First, it creates an us-versus-them mindset, dividing society into an “in-group” and an “out-group.” These groupings come with biases — there is a tendency to favor and support those who belong to the “in-group,” and dislike or belittle those in the “out-group,” whom one doesn’t identify with. Second, the perpetual- foreigner stereotype lumps all people of Asian descent into one large group, even though experiences vary significantly. “There’s communities within the bigger Asian community, and we all have different traditions and different cultures,” Kim said.

Students respond to microaggressions they encounter — including the perpetual-foreigner stereotype — in different ways. Some, like Tsen, simply try to forget racial slights. “We talked about microaggressions at some point in SELF, and I was trying then to think of times I’ve encountered them, but I couldn’t think of anything,” he said. “I think the reason for that is, even if people are being racist, I try not to be affected by it and forget it. It’s harmful to remember that people hate me for my race.”

The beauty standard

Doke’s struggles with her ethnicity largely stem from pressure to conform to Western beauty standards. “It’s something a lot of brown girls go through,” she said. “In middle school, I got made fun of for Indian traits like having thicker eyebrows. I was also really tan in middle school, and even other Indians would say, ‘At least I’m not as dark as Saara.’ The beauty standard is heavier on girls because there’s so much of an emphasis on beauty for girls. As you grow up, you get the idea enforced into your head that white equals beautiful.”

Doke noted that these standards continue to persist in many Asian communities. “Colorism is such a huge issue,” she said. “My grandma got me skin-bleaching (products) once, and my white friends were like, ‘What the hell.’”

Moving forward

Communities of peers that Asian people can relate to on a cultural level provide both comfort and support. Even though the Bay is ethnically diverse and aims to promote tolerance and inclusivity, racism, however unintentional, is still prevalent. Being a part of historically underrepresented group comes with a slew of nuances that can go unnoticed by some.

Students seem to agree that a community makes the burden more tolerable. “More conservative places don’t have as many Asian Americans, so it’s easier to hate on a minority,” Tsen said. “But here, Asians are part of the majority and so it’s harder to hate on a majority.”

Currently, it’s the pressure to assimilate that weighs heavily on many Asian Americans. Opportunities to communicate about their cultures and talk about the roles their racial identities have on their lives — both daily and cumulatively — is what will make the Bay truly diverse. Moving forward, an emphasis on “safe communication,” which Tsen describes as “when you can freely talk about your ideas with other people without being persecuted for it,” could be a beneficial next step in terms of racial integration and inclusion. “It’s a ‘safety in numbers’ thing—if there’s a lot more of you in a group, you feel safe,” he said. “It’s easier for you to congregate and have safe communication.”

More often than not, students feel the need to make the most of their free time by preparing for their futures — going to research institutes, to pre-college programs or on volunteer trips. While these are all great endeavors for students’ resumes, they contribute to burnout — a negative reaction to prolonged study that leads to exhaustion. According to a study conducted by the New York University College of Nursing, 49% of high school students surveyed felt a great deal of stress on a daily basis. Burnout is an all-too-common experience in a hyper-competitive environment in which students might rush to get ahead academically and develop areas of depth in their resumes. According to research from Boston University published in 2022, burnout can cause exhaustion, depersonalization and an overall drop in work performance. Why should students stretch themselves thin over the summer if it hurts their performance in the long run?

Students work from August until June, and when they graduate, they will most likely work year-round, since most full-time jobs do not include paid summer vacations. But right now, students are kids. The huge responsibilities and pressures of adulthood will come later, so it’s counterintuitive to expedite the transition into adulthood by stuffing summers full of work now.

All in all, students shouldn’t spend their entire summers lying in bed playing Hay Day — that probably isn’t very good for their eyes or brains. They should, however, dedicate some time to lying in bed playing Hay Day, and not feel guilty about taking time to relax and let their brains cool off. What’s most important is that students do things that they love but normally don’t have time for during the school year — learning new hobbies, discovering new places or trying new foods. And if a student really wants to, they should go ahead and take that summer course. What matters is that students feel adequately refreshed for whatever future lies ahead and therefore capable of reaching for their wildest ambitions.

To pick an outfit, Kitada rotates between his collection of dress shirts, ties, slacks, belts and business shoes. “I won’t wear a shirt again until I’ve worn all the other shirts in my closet,” he said. “Also, my belt and shoes have to match. If I wear a brown belt, my shoes also have to be brown.”

Kitada’s style has several influences, including work attire he saw in childhood. “My dad’s a lawyer, and I remember him going off to work in the 1980s and 1990s with a three-piece suit and a briefcase,” he said.

Due to the fact that he used to be mistaken for a student when he first began to work at Gunn, Kitada dresses professionally in an attempt to reflect his age. “I remember one time, I was going into the Student Activity Center to pick something up, and the woman working thought I was a student,” Kitada said. “When I wear clothes like this, fewer people on campus think I’m a student.”

“There were times when everything became very stressful, and [it] almost felt like something was weighing me down,” he said. “When it got really bad, it felt like I couldn’t get out.”

He then spent the next few years discovering himself and his values through spirituality. With the help of a mentor, he ultimately gained a healthier sense of identity and self-worth.

Joshi believes that complete satisfaction with oneself is the key to being truly happy. Controlling individual thoughts in the face of mental illness can be incredibly difficult and at times impossible. Despite his realization of self-contentment, he still struggles with keeping a consistently positive mental state. According to Joshi, it’s hard to stay mentally stable when dealing with uncontrollable circumstances. “Because you’re in [a depressive] state, you have no ability to control your internal thoughts,” he said. “You’re always affected by things going on around you instead of being the truest version of yourself.”

According to a study published to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, improvement in mental health is not always consistently evident. Seeking professional help is incredibly important, especially because mental health recovery is a long process that isn’t always linear. “It’s pretty up and down,” Joshi said. “But I think it’s definitely on an upward trend right now.”

Joshi explains that expanding his perspective on the world catalyzed a shift in the way he approached mental health, directing him towards a healthier state of mind. “It’s a mental snap,” he said. “For me, hearing about the experiences of people that aren’t as privileged as the people in Palo Alto really opened my eyes.”

Through advocating for racial justice and becoming involved in various protests, Joshi was exposed to the personal experiences of people less fortunate than him. Acknowledging that not everyone lives the “Palo Alto life” helped him to realize that his self-worth doesn’t depend on academic and social excellence, a core foundation for his recovery. “I’ve learned a lot in the past six months about people who haven’t had the privileges that I have living in Palo Alto,” he said. “[People who don’t live in Palo Alto] are able to maintain a worthwhile life without having to have all of these superficial things—money, high GPA, a certain degree, a good school. Even without these privileges, they are some of the most quality people in the world.”

Joshi stresses that acknowledging privilege isn’t always beneficial for everyone struggling with mental health issues. “It doesn’t work for all people,” he said. “I know some people feel invalidated when they hear other people talking about their struggles. But for me, it was less of an invalidation and more of an understanding.”

Receiving support from a trusted adult also greatly helped Joshi. “He is the smartest person I know,” Joshi said. “I never really had friends [that I could really] rely on, but when you have a strong connection with someone, nothing can break that spiritual bond between you two. He provides me with insight on life. I know that there are people that have quality friends their age, but I think for me, [what I needed] was a mentor to get me through my problems.”

Joshi believes that listening is the best form of support. “[My mentor provided the] integrity and strength [I needed],” he said. “He was someone who didn’t even need to help me, but he listened. An ear can do a lot for people who have a lot on their mind and a lot weighing on them.”

While there is a seemingly endless number of emotional obstacles, academic struggles or personal hurdles to get through, Joshi feels significantly less pressure. “I now have an understanding of what mental freedom is,” he said. “I was lost in this abyss back then. It felt like there was nothing and everything around me at the exact same time. It felt like being squeezed and let go. While it still somewhat feels like that, it’s less tangible for me to give up now.”

Tell your coach that you have “a lot of homework” or a “huge test tomorrow.” This way, even if you plan on spending the evening in bed or watching Netflix (better yet, watching Netflix in bed!), it gives the image that you are a studious and hardworking student athlete who has academic interests in mind. There’s really no losing with this strategy, because people think you’re being productive regardless. Plus, you might actually get some work done.

2. Menstrual Cramps

This one is for athletes who get their periods. If your coach doesn’t bleed out their uterine lining every month, using a menstruation-related excuse is the easiest way to get them to do whatever you ask. People will do anything to avoid talking about periods, so the second you mention cramps or needing to change your tampon, you’re free. It’s also a good way to get away with being lazy; you can’t exactly do much when your “entire body is bleeding.” However, please keep in mind that this strategy loses about 100% of its effectiveness if you very clearly are not actually capable of getting your period.

3. Family Plans

Coaches should understand that family comes first, so telling them your grandparents are in town, for example, is a great way to get out of one specific practice. Maybe it was unannounced, and that’s why you couldn’t let your coach know in advance. Maybe you haven’t seen them in a long time, and they’re really hoping to spend time with you. Whatever you choose, your coach will see you as a dedicated and loving kid, and who doesn’t want someone like that on their team?

4. Find a Scapegoat

When in doubt, put the blame on someone else who won’t face the consequences, like your parents. Call your coach or text your teammates in advance that you don’t have a ride because your parents are out, your mom is dragging you to some last-minute event or you and your dad got a flat tire on the drive to practice. That way, the blame doesn’t fall to you, and who’s going to knock on your door to verify your excuse?

It has been about a month since the “devious licks” TikTok trend emerged in early September, and although Internet trends usually fade as quickly as they surface, students are still vandalizing school property. Spraying graffiti on the bathroom walls, stealing pencil sharpeners and shattering mirrors have all been widespread acts on campus connected to the trend.

Custodian supervisor Luciano Hernandez says the last substantial lick at Gunn was just last week. “At one point last week, every single soap dispenser from the boys’ bathrooms on campus went missing,” Hernandez said.

According to People Magazine, the “devious licks” trend started when TikTok user @jugg4elias posted a video showing off a box of stolen disposable masks. Since then, the trend has amassed over 19,000 videos, with students stealing ceiling panels in the bathrooms, air conditioning units, fire extinguishers and much more. After receiving backlash online, TikTok restricted every video featuring the buzzwords “stealing,” “devious” and “lick.”

At the height of the trend, Gunn students were not only stealing and spraying graffiti on items in the bathrooms, but also completely destroying them. Sophomore Roni Kurt was dismayed by the damage done in many of the boys’ bathrooms across campus. “They broke the toilet seats, so you can’t sit on the toilet, and [they broke] the mirrors, so you can’t look at yourself in the mirror,” Kurt said. 

By Sept. 15, the vandalism had become such a large issue that all bathrooms on campus were locked after the dismissal bell to deter students from further havoc. Sophomore Edwin Jacqua voiced exasperation at the inconveniences. “It gets old when it’s this continuous,” he said.

Theft and wreckage aside, students have also taken to spraying graffiti or splattering red Kool-Aid onto the walls of the bathrooms. This creates an additional level of maintenance for the custodial staff to handle and requires district intervention. Hernandez explains the process of cleaning up graffiti. “We have to document the graffiti that gets put up, [and] if we cannot clean it, we have to call the district’s managing department so they can come and paint over it,” he said. “It’s so time consuming and very costly because somebody has to come in for two or three hours just to clean or paint over something that’s been vandalized.” 

English teacher Terence Kitada, whose classroom is in the N-building, worries about the effects of this trend on the custodians at Gunn. “The frustration is, somebody has to clean it up,” Kitada said. “I’m friends with the janitors who work in the N-building, Nigel and Nestor. For them, it’s frustrating because they already have extra duties because of the COVID-19 safety protocols. Are the folks who are doing these things thinking about the people whom they’re affecting?”

The licks have N-building custodian Nestor Vidonia frequently restocking items in the bathroom. “It’s very hard,” Vidonia said. “Some teachers are saying, ‘We don’t have soap in this area, in this restroom.’ It’s my duty to check them every day, and when I check them, there’s nothing there.” 

Beyond the disturbance in daily life, theft of sanitary products like hand sanitizer and soap increases the transmission risk of COVID-19, creating other safety concerns. “I can’t go to the bathroom and wash my hands because the soap’s all gone,” Kurt said. “It’s very unsanitary and gross, and because there’s no soap, it makes it difficult to be safe during COVID-19.” 

While bathroom thefts remain common, graffiti has significantly decreased since the start of the trend. In fact, Hernandez comments that last week was graffiti-free. “Last week, there was less vandalism because at some point, there was nothing left to be vandalized,” he said.

On Sept. 30, Principal Wendy Stratton expressed her gratitude to the custodial staff in a Schoology update. “We would like to thank the Custodial Staff for working above and beyond in light of COVID-19 hygiene concerns and the recent vandalism and theft in our campus bathrooms,” she wrote.