Around this time of year, many students are sick. Stuffy noses, sore throats, and bad cases of Senioritis run amok, causing students to adopt the Rudolf look — a bright red nose rubbed raw by poor-quality tissues.

This is all in the assumption that students can find tissues. Many teachers don’t even have tissues around the classroom. History teacher Wendel Nothdurft generously provides name brand tissues for his students, not only for sanitation, but also to symbolize equality among students.

“One nose is not more important than another,” said Mr. Nothdurft. “All snot is created equally.”

The luxurious colored Kleenex found in Mr. Nothdurft’s classroom are a monumental upgrade from the Sears-Roebuck catalogue of olden days.

“I grew up poor and deprived of good tissue,” said Mr. Nothdurft. “Now I try to provide quality tissues for my students.”

Tissues aren’t always seen as a necessity, but more of an accessory. In reality, tissues are a necessary facet of sanitation that schools generally do provide, but students take advantage of.

“I feel like they are doing a good service in providing us with tissues and toilet paper,” said sophomore Katie Campbell, “but they aren’t doing so to the best of their abilities.”

Toilet and tissue paper are around to keep germs from spreading and to keep the school sanitary.

“The point [of toilet and tissue paper] is for hygiene and to provide a safeguard from bacteria,” said Campbell.

When tissues aren’t available, it’d almost be better to suffer than use the other alternative — toilet paper.

“The toilet paper here at school is the worst form of parchment,” said senior Chris Clouatre. “It feels like sandpaper.”

Even for its intended purpose, the school toilet paper doesn’t do too good a job. Many students go to the extent of avoiding using the bathroom at school. Junior Jesse Maestri actively avoids the lavatories.

“The paper quality is thin, gritty, and rigid,” said Maestri.

It’s kind of the school to provide necessary essentials such as toilet and tissue paper, but what they do provide is the bare minimum. It’s an equalizer, a pain, and a pain reliever at the same time. While it may suck, in the end, it gets the job done.