From common celebrity sightings to lineups of extravagant cars, Calabasas has always been associated with luxury, cleanliness and high standards. Calabasas has become a hotspot for tourists looking to embody the Los Angeles lifestyle, with Calabasas High School now falling under those same stereotypes. However, what many outsiders do not get to see are the truths behind all the glamour. With its vandalized bathrooms, littered campus and several attempts among members of the student body to follow the “Devious Licks” trend, CHS is not as pretty as it may seem.  

The #calabasashighschool Tik Tok hashtag alone has over 522,500 views. Adding to the “famous” stereotype, the most-liked videos under this hashtag are about the expensive cars in the CHS lot and personalities like Kanye West and Joey Joy making an appearance at the school. Many of these stereotypes stemmed overtime from celebrities who live in the area and flaunt their valuable belongings on social media tagged under the Calabasas location. With all of the publicity, Calabasas has become a well-known area with many over-priced restaurants and expensive homes.

For being a community with such high expectations, Calabasas High does not quite meet the standards of luxury and cleanliness. Ever since coming back this year, students have mistreated the campus more than ever. Starting off the year with the “Devious Licks” Tik Tok challenge, students had no limits when it came to abusing the campus, even going as far as removing soap dispensers and unhinging the pipes of the boys’ bathroom sinks. Even after several warnings from administrators, students proceeded to destroy the campus with no care. Admin had no choice but to shut down the bathrooms, forcing a consequence on all students and threatening to bring portapotties on campus for the remainder of the year. 

The litter problem on campus has also increased since the shift back to on-campus school. The custodians devote the majority of their time making sure that the campus looks appealing and unpolluted, but the students are the problem when it comes to littering and leaving trash out. Especially after the lunch period, the tables in the lower quad are left with several pieces of trash- used utensils, spilled milk cartons and half-finished ketchup containers, just to name a few. CHS itself is an upstanding school, but the hundreds of students who leave their trash for the janitors to clean up are making it more difficult to enjoy school for both other students and administrators. 

What many of these students do not realize is that their misbehavior and naive actions not only impact the rest of the student body, but also leaves the clean up and reinstallation up to the custodial and maintenance staff who already spend so many hours at school working to create a clean environment for students. Calabasas may look pretty from the outside, but the negligence of students puts a burden on the reputation of the school. Most of the students who complain about the uncleanliness of the campus are also the same students who contribute to trashing it. The name “Calabasas” screams luxury and refined, but even if CHS wasn’t known for its high-class characteristics, the way students have been treating the campus is irresponsible and absent minded. Students responded with outrage after hearing the possibility of having porta-potties, but it is irrational to not expect consequences after mistreating the campus. Many of these students do not realize the privilege of going to school in such a well-rounded community and tend to take advantage of what is around them. CHS students need to clean up their act before they expect to be treated on a pedestal. 

Despite the pattern of misbehavior from students this year, there is still hope for change in the near future. Students need to accept the idea of cleaning up after themselves and expect consequences for their actions. As inconvenient as porta-potties may be, it is one of the only ways to teach students that their misbehavior results in repercussions. Since many students are used to other people, especially adults, cleaning up after them, it is important for the school to show these students that their immature behavior is not tolerable in the workplace. 

What many outsiders do not see beyond the name-brand outfits and expensive shoes is the disregard that some students have for their learning environment and public places. Even though CHS is trying to steer away from its stereotype as a school for the privileged and entitled, the way many students have been neglecting the campus is reinforcing it.