Keep off the grass!

There is a large grassy area between the 9th and 10th grade building (pictured) and the cafeteria. The quickest way to get between the two is to go across the grass, but the maintenance staff has been trying to rehab it, as it had gotten really muddy and worn down. This has meant requiring students to walk on the paved path around the grass. Sounds simple, but has been challenging in practice. First, there were signs up warning to keep off the grass. These were mostly ignored. Then, there was string strung up between trees. This was mostly torn down. Then, this more elaborate fencing was put up, with sticks running diagonally. However, this didn't run the whole length of the grass, so it was mostly walked around. Most recently, the director of the 9th and 10th grade building required students that he caught walking across the grass to write 1,000 times (in Chinese characters), "I will not walk on the grass." One day last week, sheets of paper with these sentences on them were hung from the front door, so that all of the students would see them when they came in - as a warning to keep off the grass themselves. This last tactic seems to have worked and has been a popular topic of conversation among my students. Meanwhile, the grass is looking healthy and well. For now...