The “lost and found” table is located under the main stairs of the WHS educational wing. Some students complain about how missing items are handled, so I decided to speak with administration and students to get some insight to the situation.

The first person I spoke with was Ms. Terra Ellingson, our fabulous front office person that seems to know a bit about everything!

Ms. Ellingson shared the “lost and found” procedures:

• If someone finds something, like clothing, they bring it to the “lost and found.”
• If it is an electronic device, money, or even keys, they bring it to the office.
• Jewelry is kept in the office until summer, then donated to some kind of store like Maurices or JCPenney’s.

I asked Ms. Ellingson if the procedures have ever been changed and her reply was, “No; that’s the way they have always done it.” I was surprised that the procedures haven’t changed in years!

I then asked students if they ever dealt with the “lost and found.” Here were their responses:

• One lost clothing their freshman year.
• Another lost his backpack but it was never found.
• A third student remembered losing something but couldn’t even remember what it was.

The connection between all of these is the stuff was never found, likely because it was either stolen or never reached the “lost and found” table.

Assistant Principal Audrey Larson shared her thoughts:

“The lost and found procedure at WHS is not perfect, but I think it works for most students.  If students only take their own missing things, there would be no problem with the procedure.  Currently, the lost and found is in a place that is accessible to all students which is both a positive and negative.  It is a positive because students can access the items at any time.  It is a negative because some students feel that the lost and found is free shopping.  I believe that if all students were honest and only “found” their own missing items, the lost and found procedure would work great!”

While the system is not perfect, it does seem to work. If you have an idea to share for improving the current system, please share!