Founded in 1971, Madison High School has served as one of the leading public educational institutions in the entire state of New Jersey. After almost half a decade, MHS has improved its infrastructure greatly through the implementation of new SMART Board technology as well various new sports facilities including an additional auxiliary gym as well as two new turf fields located behind the school, which are technically owned by the town. Despite all of these new, shiny additions to the school grounds, one aspect of the facility remains untouched after almost 50 years: the bathrooms.
MHS bathrooms have plagued the well-being of students for many years. One bathroom in particular, located in the F hall of Madison High School, is notorious for its status as one of the grimiest and scariest lavatories throughout the entire school. Walking into the small, dark closet of bathroom, visitors are welcomed with the wafting aroma of “fruity” scents from a time long forgotten. The yellow tiled walls (were they always yellow?) remind students of their surrounding filth and provide an unwelcoming and daunting aura.
Other bathrooms such as those found in C hall and G hall fare no better in their general cleanliness and sanitation. C hall is often stated as being “worse than nothing” with several students like junior Will Wrath claiming that he would “rather wear diapers than use C hall bathroom.”
Despite these blatant allegations towards Madison’s public waste utilities, nothing significant has been done in recent years to improve these current conditions. One student in particular, Jim Nagle stated that “The bathrooms aren’t that bad.” Jim’s views are few and far between throughout Madison High School as many students feel as though immediate action must be taken to alleviate the stress caused by the school bathroom facilities. Even if action is taken, can they truly repair the damage that has already been done?
Joe Toms • Dec 24, 2013 at 1:03 am
This article made me sad, and realize that ‘rich kid syndrome’ is alive and well in one of NJ’s wealthiest communities. Madison has a modern high school. Compare to the nearly 100 year old schools of Essex County, whose restrooms are never cleaned. Instead of complaining about your problems, please come help schools who actually have problems.
Jim • Dec 27, 2013 at 2:45 pm
I’m sorry that the students of Essex County must suffer so grievously, but I agree completely with the author. Why does the school spend thousands of dollars on brand new athletic fields and new technology, yet leave the bathrooms essentially untouched? You’re perfectly welcome to share your opinion, but I think you should pay a visit to a few of the bathrooms before you put down a high schooler online. Lastly, the conditions of the Essex County bathrooms are irrelevant as none of us live in Essex County. I think we should call attention to our problems as we, the students, have to deal with them on a daily basis. For the record, I’m sure the Essex students complain about their bathrooms too, if they are actually as bad as you say and are “never cleaned.”
Matt Sokol • Dec 27, 2013 at 11:55 pm
Hello Joe,
First off, I would like to thank you for taking precious time out of your busy day to not only read, but also comment on my article. Although our ideas are obviously on different sides of the spectrum regarding the state of MHS’s restroom facilities, I appreciate any and all criticism towards my articles whether it be positive or negative. With that said, I find it unfortunate that both you and I have such vastly differing beliefs on the controversial topic at hand.
After carefully reading your elegantly worded response, I would like to take a moment to react to a couple of your statements. First, in your comment you mentioned your observations regarding a condition which you referred to as “rich kid syndrome”. If by “rich kid syndrome” you are referring to the arrogance and unappreciative attitudes held by those of high economic standing, I cannot quite agree with you. Much of what you call “rich kid syndrome” is glorified in today’s media such as mainstream news and entertainment leaving children in high income towns such as Madison with an unfortunate stigma. With this in mind, I find your diagnosis of “rich kid syndrome” towards myself unnecessary and uncalled for. From an early age, I was raised with the idea of a strong work ethic and was forced to work for work for the things that I wanted. Because of this, I truly feel sad that your generalizations and stereotypes towards the children of Madison have cause you to put into question my ideas and beliefs despite your ignorance towards my personal life.
Secondly, you speak of MHS as being a “modern” school and that it is in a much better state than the educational facilities found in counties such as Essex. I would like to start off by saying that Madison High School is in no way, shape, or form a modern school. The school itself is many decades old and its obvious age is beginning to show not only in the bathrooms but also classrooms, locker, rooms, and hallways. To close off this response, I do not quite understand your recommendation to help schools in Essex County who “actually have problems”. As far as I know, I have not and will not be attending any Essex County schools and therefore would rather focus my attention on an educational system in which I have invested several years of my life in. As a student of MHS, I feel as though it is my responsibility to not only make my stay in Madison as enjoyable as possible but also ensure that those who come after me are able to create fond and everlasting memories free of bathroom woes.
If you would like, I am more than willing to offer you a tour showcasing many of MHS’s present shortcomings (just make sure you bring your own pair of rubber gloves).
Yours Truly,
Matt Sokol