Myra Rahlan ’29
Every year, countless items are left unclaimed in the school’s lost and found. Kids lose everything, from water bottles and jackets to a singular shoe, yet they never seem to know where these things are, or more importantly, where to look for them. According to Madame Brotschul, Upper School French teacher and Community Service Coordinator, the Lower and Middle Schools both have a lost and found while the Upper School does not. As a result, the majority of items found in class lounges, locker rooms, and sports fields are placed into the Athletic Center bins, creating confusion and more work for Episcopal’s faculty and staff.
Brotschul shares that at the end of the semester, the lost and found in the Athletic Center is filled not only with clothes and shoes, but also with an absurd number of water bottles. “Most of those water bottles are from athletes who bring them to practice and don’t remember,” she says. “The groundskeeper is getting off of his lawnmower to pick up water bottles, making his job a little bit harder.”
Students not being fully aware of the Upper School lost and found situation has led to a significant amount of unclaimed items. Brotschul reflects, “Easily 100 water bottles were donated,” some of which go for up to sixty dollars. Before winter break, the entire lost and found was emptied and sorted, which took a great deal of time. She explained, “Just so students know, those had to be carried all the way to the middle or the lower school to be put through a dishwasher,” additionally noting the numerous loads and hours it took to wash and reassemble all of those water bottles. Routine clean-outs typically happen around major breaks like Christmas, spring break, and the end of the school year. The process of cleaning up and sorting these items, to be eventually donated or given to the EA Thrift Store, takes time and effort from faculty and staff.
Brotschul also expressed a concern about waste, not wanting to continue throwing out such a large volume of items. At some point, donation centers won’t need any more waterbottles. If there isn’t a better system, there is a good chance of quality items not being put to good use.
Beyond just clothes and water bottles going missing, more valuable items occasionally go missing. For smaller, valuable items such as glasses or earbuds, they should ideally be turned into the Upper School office or a faculty member, not the lost and found bins.
When students lose their items, they sometimes don’t know where to look for them, or simply don’t bother looking through the bins. While she was sorting through the lost and found, a student walked by and suddenly exclaimed, “Oh! That’s my waterbottle!” Brotschul shares. If that student hadn’t walked by at that time, their item would have been long gone and replaced. Situations like this happen often because students forget to check for their lost items, opting to replace them with new ones rather than going through the hassle.
The issue isn’t blame, but awareness. Brotschul suggested checking the lost and found more often. “Maybe I did lose something. Maybe I need to check that lost and found,” she suggested.
Further, she encourages students to put their last names and graduation years on their belongings, so that items have a better chance of being returned. She proposes that during clean-out, labeled items will be put into bins organized by class, given to the form deans, and then classes can post the lost items on their Instagram pages. This system could be effective in reducing waste and helping students recover their lost items efficiently.
Ultimately, Brotschul hopes that the increased awareness will lead to better habits and an effective system by helping students claim their lost items and reduce items going to waste. “Nobody knows where to find it or what to do with it,” she states. For the time being, until there’s an official Upper School lost and found, labeling your items, knowing where to look, and where to put lost items can make a difference for the faculty and staff. If you get a chance, stop by the lost and found to check if any of your missing items are there.
RECOGNIZE ANYTHING?: A collection of student items remain unclaimed in the AC Lost and Found.
Photo courtesy of Karen Shi ’27
