“I know it’s not all of you, but too many do not clean up after yourselves, and the adults are at their wits’ end. Eat inside, throw your trash away — it’s not hard to do,” Sarah Bates, Head of Upper School, wrote in a Google Classroom announcement to the Class of 2027 on May 5. No outside food is allowed on campus due to allergies, according to an email sent on April 30 by Head of the Upper School Sarah Bates. Previously, many students ordered food to school after 3:35 p.m. Now, although seniors are still allowed to leave campus, everyone is prohibited from bringing food in from outside restaurants due to Poly’s position as an allergen-free campus. Food is also no longer allowed on the back fields, according to another email from Bates on May 5, in which she expressed frustration with the garbage left on campus.
In an email to The Polygon, Bates stated that she, Head of Middle School Dan Doughty, and Head of Campus Operations Matthew Stelluto made this decision to ban food on the fields, and they intend for this ban to continue indefinitely. When asked what Bates hopes students take away from this, she wrote, “I believe that all of our students are inherently good people and do not want to cause more work for others. However, the inability of some to clean up after themselves now affects all of their peers.”
This email prohibiting food on the fields comes after a series of emails and reminders. Particularly, one was sent out on May 1, where Bates asked students to pick up their garbage. Attached were two images of trash left on the back fields. Prior to this announcement, Bates said over email, “I have sent countless email reminders to clean up around campus.” These last few weeks have yielded sunny and hot weather, causing many students to spend their free time outside. One of the most popular outdoor locations is the backfields, where students gather to play sports, socialize, or study. Because many students b
ring their lunches or other snacks, this can be messy. “There continued to be trash left on the backfields — bags of chips, plates, plastic bottles, wrappers, etc. — and since we didn’t see a change in the trash being thrown away, we needed to restrict food from going out there,” said Bates in an email sent to all Poly students. “Our grounds crew has a big job to do, and picking up trash from students is not part of it. They were spending 
significant additional time cleaning up after students, and that took away from their primary responsibilities.”
Norah Sheff ’25 acknowledges the administration’s perspective, yet is still frustrated by this change. “I get [the school’s] precaution because it’s annoying to see trash on the field, but also it is annoying because people want to be outside during lunch, and it’s an easy way to eat food while chilling with friends,” she said. Other students agree with the school’s motivations behind this ban. “I understand if you have a snack from the vending machine, but people are leaving full plates of food from Commons on the field, and it’s absolutely disgusting,” said Nicolette Avdeychik ’27.
