It is no secret that Gresham High School is in need of some serious repairs. Every hallway you walk down, a leak in the pipes or a crack in the ceiling catches your eye. While we all know this is a problem, unless the upcoming bond is passed, the condition of the school will continue to deteriorate. If Gresham got hit with the smallest of earthquakes, our High School is going down. Safety aside, the building is over 100 years old, and it looks it. Some serious remodels are in order, and students are fully aware of it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

  Junior Harrison Jones looks at the same leak in the ceiling every day on his way to English class. In his third year walking these halls, Jones has come to accept the condition the school is in.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

  “The school is in awful condition, but there’s nothing we can do about it, so you just shake your head and move on,” Jones said.                                                         

  Jones acceptance of the problems with the school is a common thing. Constant jokes are made in the halls and throughout the cafeteria, with some of the common sayings being, “Only at Gresham,” and “That’s Gresham for you.” Many students will, like Jones, laugh, shake their head, and move on. That will continue to happen as the building gets older and weaker.                                                                                                                                                                                      

  Junior Max Gatlin sees things in a similar light as Jones. He is one to make an “Old Gresham” joke as well.                                                                                             

   “It’s kind of crazy to me that the school has gotten to the state it’s at,” Gatlin said. “You can’t help but laugh at it.”                                                                                     

  We all see it. We all laugh at it. Now it’s time to do something about it. there are some positives about the school. It can be viewed as a monument in the city of Gresham. The use of natural lighting and new turf make for some nice things to enjoy about the school. Make no mistake though, this school is in a sad state, and it will continue to be mocked and deteriorate.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

   “Everybody in the school knows how bad it has gotten, now we just need to communicate with the community we need their help,” Jones said.                    

   Custodian RJ Connell sees the condition the building is in first hand every day. Part of the problem in his eyes is the lack of custodians on staff.                          

   “With budget cuts, we lost half of our staff, and with the number of people we have working the day and night shifts right now, we can’t properly take care of the building,” Connell said.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

   Connell is a big supporter of the bond, and hopes as the building continues to deteriorate, people will take notice and vote to pass the bond.                                      

   “I want everyone to get a look at the building, see all the cracks and leaks,” Connell said. “That will open their eyes, and hopefully get the bond passed.         

   Every time there is heavy rain and the ceiling leaks, the janitorial staff has to patch the hole and move on. There is no new ceiling in sight. Add to that, the night and day staff has been cut down to to budget, so the school is not able to be kept in decent condition. The school and its foundation will continue to get worse, which will require even more maintenance, which we do not have the staff for. The jokes will keep coming, and all we can do is hope for the bond to pass.