The MIHS lost and found is overflowing: water bottles, clothes of all sorts and even a bin of AirPods are currently sitting right next to the ASB office. Why do Mercer Island students leave their stuff in such an accessible area?

Becky LeMaster, the warden of the lost and found, believes the excess of unclaimed items could be attributed to a few key reasons: “The kids just don’t come looking for it, or maybe don’t know where [the lost and found] is.” She believes that the lost and found is out of sight and out of mind for many MI students.

When it comes to water bottles and hoodies, it’s understandable that students wouldn’t search for them, let alone recognize they lost them in the first place. However, AirPods are a different story. With a box full of a dozen functioning AirPods, questions arise about why a student would care so little about such a valuable item. Due to the value of Airpods, the barriers to retrieving them are strengthened. LeMaster ensures that students are honest when picking up their AirPods, ruling that “they either have to identify a distinctive case or connect them to their phone.” With Yondr pouches in place, the problem of lost AirPods is now in the past, but the question of what to do with items left unpicked remains.

When it comes to lost clothes, LeMaster has a few options for using them. At the end of each year, she sets a pile of MI-branded clothing aside as necessary extras for students in need. The rest of the clothes are donated to the Eastside Men’s Shelter or the Issaquah clothing bank.

Whether you care to pick up a lost item or not, checking the lost and found is a quick and easy process that should be taken advantage of. As Islanders, we should take the initiative to find our lost items. However, even if you never recover your hoodie, rest easy knowing that it is going to someone in need, or maybe some Depop reseller at the thrift.