by Krystal Paco

Guam - According to a Facilities Capital Action Plan conducted by Sodexo in 2010, it's going to cost more than $1.5 million to bring Southern High School up to par. By the looks of it, you'd never guessed that the Santa Rita school was coined the "Jewel of the South" when it first opened its doors in 1997.

"When I came here it looked a rotten jewel," shared SHS senior Rico Chaco. He says the island's leaders are failing him, adding, "This school has so much potential with the gym the auditorium the students and the teachers, but without the funds from our leaders we can't do much."

Two years ago $8 million in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act money was committed to making repairs throughout the Southern campus, but Chaco has yet to see any progress. "My question to the government leaders is where's that money?" he said.

Chaco cites the Every Child is Entitled to An Adequate Education Act, which requires schools to meet fourteen 14 benchmarks, including properly ventilated classrooms and working restrooms. Today, dozens of students took SAT-10 tests without air conditioning. And for girls, there was only one working restroom on the entire campus.

Chaco continued, "I should tell them I'm 18 already this is my first time election and its not looking good for them right now."

Southern High School students want the island to know that they want to see action. At the school's entrance hangs a to-do list, which includes the gym, pool, auditorium, the school's various courts and football field, moldy classrooms, and broken air conditioning units. Student Body Association advisor Rose Castro says broken air conditioning and lack of maintenance have been the root of the school's problems. Termites now feast on the school's auditorium stage, the gym and bleachers, the band room, and remnants of old-band equipment. "We're not getting any help here," she said.

Senior Jaylyn Estanislao vaguely remembers the last home game in her school's gymnasium her freshmen year. Today, she and her teammates struggle to find a place to hold practices, as she described, ""We have to fight with other schools to practice at Agat's gym, when we could be using our gym."

According to fellow athlete Edriana Buendicho, what was once an Olympic pool is now the Lost Pond. "The only water is rainwater," she said.

Asked to grade public officials on their performance of handling the school, Chaco said, "Several times again they've asked us again and again - I'm going to say 'no rating' because they haven't done anything to improve it."

Despite student-led monthly school cleanups, Buendicho and her peers agree: they should be focused on their studies, not fixing their school facilities. According to school principal James Petite, there has been no movement at the Department of Education's Procurement Division on bids for the school's gym and auditorium, meaning those facilities will still be unavailable for student use next year.