The Student News Site of Sunny Hills High School

The Accolade

The Student News Site of Sunny Hills High School

The Accolade

The Student News Site of Sunny Hills High School

The Accolade

Current Events: Friday, April 26
Current Events: Friday, April 26
Pricilla Escobedo and Chris LeeApril 26, 2024
Accolade staff writers junior Kayden Kim (left) and sophomore Kevin Lee work on creating magazine layouts for The Accolade’s upcoming May senior issue during fourth period Tuesday, April 17, in Room 138. With the creation of an honors Advanced Journalism course starting next school year, Kim, Lee and their peers on staff can be eligible to earn honors credit for taking this elective if they become an editor.
Starting in the 2024-2025 school year, Advanced Journalism students eligible to earn honors credit
Aiden Park, Opinion Editor • April 25, 2024
Accolade staff reporter junior Teo Jeong watches Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was released in 1937, to reflect on his initial reactions on viewing the classic film on Wednesday, April 24.
COLUMN: Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, ‘Snow White’s’ the way to go
Teo Jeong, Staff Reporter • April 25, 2024
Current Events: Thursday, April 25
Current Events: Thursday, April 25
Pricilla Escobedo and Chris LeeApril 25, 2024

‘Devious licks’ TikTok trend ‘licks’ school with several vandalism cases

Only+one+dispenser+was+stolen+in+the+boys+restroom+in+the+40s+wing+Sept.+13+as%0Apart+of+TikToks+%E2%80%9Cdevious+licks%E2%80%9D+challenge.+School+officials+estimate+the+cost+to+replace+it+at+%24350.
Henry Lee
Only one dispenser was stolen in the boys restroom in the 40s wing Sept. 13 as part of TikTok’s “devious licks” challenge. School officials estimate the cost to replace it at $350.

School officials said some students have been caught and suspended for stealing or damaging soap and paper towel dispensers from three boys restrooms last week.

The vandalism is similar to a TikTok trend that started Sept. 1 called “devious licks” in which those doing the posting brag about certain items stolen from school.

“It’s disappointing that students feel the need to behave in this fashion, and the fact they believe that this is something to brag about is disgusting,” said assistant principal Hilda Arredondo, who was only willing to tell The Accolade that less than 10 students were caught and given consequences ranging from suspension to fines for repair and labor costs.

Principal Allen Whitten narrowed that number down to “a handful.”

Neither administrator was willing to release details about those caught, but they gave the following account: On Sept. 13, Sunny Hills experienced a series of vandalism in three different locations — the boys restrooms near the 40s building, 70s building and 400s building.

“I would say that Sept. 13 was the one and only incident… Fortunately for us, we haven’t been largely hit like the other campuses,” Arredondo said.

Students were caught because of the high-technology security on campus, which includes approximately 200 cameras scattered around campus for officials to review.

“We have alarms — detector alarms that identify both vaping and loud sounds in the bathroom — so with that, we get alerts on our phones, and I’m able to pinpoint the exact time that it happened,” Arredondo said. “Then, I just do an investigation based on what I see and find [on the cameras].”

Though administrators cannot release names of those who face discipline, one sophomore boy told The Accolade he served a two-day suspension after removing the nearly $60 soap dispenser by force from the boys bathroom in the 40s wing.

“It was dumb, and I definitely would not do it again,” said the 15-year-old, whose name has been withheld because of confidentiality. “It might be funny at the moment, but I do not recommend [doing] this.”

The vandalized items, the paper towel and soap dispensers, usually cost $50-$80, but Arredondo and Whitten said the total damage costs can easily amount to hundreds of dollars.

Whitten believes that this will not happen again.

“I look forward to moving past this and getting to a point where all of our students feel that Sunny Hills pride and feel a part of the Sunny Hills family,” he said. “We can go back to being that special school where things like this don’t happen.”

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About the Contributor
Hannah Lee
Hannah Lee, Web Managing Editor
Senior Hannah Lee looks forward to her third and final year on The Accolade staff as the web managing editor. After serving as a copy editor and opinion editor in the past, Lee is excited to experiment with multimedia elements to broaden her journalistic skill set. Though she still enjoys designing print issue layouts for readers, Lee hopes to focus on helping maintain the online website this school year. Outside of The Accolade, Lee is involved with several school clubs, such as UNICEF and Science Olympiad. In her free time, she enjoys playing the piano and spending time with her older sister, Vivian.
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