![WASC looks for more than the basic California State standards. According to chairperson Mike Woo, “As new rules and new concerns come up through society, [WASC] look[s] is the school doing something about that. Like the biggest trend post-COVID is mental wellness. So is your school doing something to address the mental health of the students? Along with are they still doing the proper academics?”](https://theburlingameb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/IMG_3401-1200x1200.png)
![“For me personally, I want [others] to see the music program as a strong union because we can really bring out the life of our school,” Vega said. “We need music, you know? Otherwise, things would be really silent and dead.”](https://theburlingameb.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/unnamed-1200x801.jpeg)
BHS has a problem: A bird problem
December 8, 2016
Imagine yourself sitting at one of Burlingame High School’s coveted lunch spots- the outdoor benches and picnic tables- when suddenly you feel a plop. You’ve been pooped on. In horror, you realize that you have become a victim to an ever growing problem students face daily: the bird problem. BHS’ resident seagull population, known for their aggressive food hunting tactics and endless pooping problem, have been terrorizing students for several years.
Some students, such as senior Riley With, who has already been pooped on twice, feel as though the birds disturb their daily routines at school.
“Birds are a nuisance at Burlingame.. [and] eating outside has become a nightmare because you never know when you are going to be the next victim of these terrible animals,” With said.
Junior Logan Turner, who has been pooped on three times in one day, relates to the bird problem as well.
“I have had terrible luck with birds here at BHS,” said Turner. “A bird has flown through the sky and pooped on me multiple times, especially during my freshman year.”
The magnitude of the problem is evident just through observation. After the lunch bells rings, groups of students can be seen covering their heads with backpacks, jackets, or most disturbingly, even the Burlingame B’s newspaper.
Where the responsibility of the problem lies may be unclear. Is it the students’ fault by leaving their extra food and trash lying around after lunch? Or have the administrators not taken appropriate steps to lessen the problem before it grew to this enormity? Possibilities could include erecting canopies over our lunch tables, consulting bird experts, or distributing parasols to all interested students.
Other students believe not much can be done to alleviate the bird problem and are more sympathetic to the birds.
“Although I have gotten pooped on by a bird, it has not changed my opinion of them… There are not really any ways to prevent the birds from coming to BHS,” freshman Trevor Macko said.
Whether you have hope or not that this problem can be addressed, it is imperative that something must be done to alleviate the mayhem that the birds cause. School is an institution for learning; students should not have to be concerned with the daily possibility of being assaulted by a bird.
