MCHS Parody Instagram Accounts: Funny or Invasive?

Isaac Lopez looking at the "mariacarrillo_feet" account (Photo: Maitri Rane, The Puma Prensa)

by Maitri Rane, staff writer

You may have noticed multiple Instagram accounts trying to follow you with “mchs” in their names. Many of these, created by Maria Carrillo High School students, share images of students and teachers without their consent. 

There are multiple accounts posting images, such as “x.mchs.x” and “mchs_mouthbreathers.” The recently deleted ¨x.mchs.x"posted pictures of people’s private lives such as staff on their time off or students going to the bathrooms. “mchs_mouthbreathers” posts pictures of students and staff not wearing their masks correctly.

“x.mchs.x” had 425 followers and 161 posts on Instagram. Two particularly well-known posts were about Principal Monique Luke and Assistant Principal Albert Ettedgui, each of which included pictures found on the internet from the past. The old image of Assistant Principal Ettedgui showed him in a wetsuit, while the picture of Principal Luke depicted her with someone in some kind of mascot costume, with the caption saying, “I love our principal.” Despite being deleted for these posts, the owners remade another under the name “xx.mchs.xx” and re-uploaded all the same posts.

Sophomore Winter Cline explained how the account “bugged” them because they have been posted on the “x.mchs.x.” They said, “I told them I wasn’t comfortable with my face being distributed online so publicly because I identify as transgender, and I don’t like my face just out there like that for everyone to see.” They added that the account apologized and told them they would stop posting them, but then the account did not take down the other three or four posts that were already up with them in it.

“mchs_mouthbreathers” has 383 followers, and “it is entirely dedicated to bullying people who can't wear their mask correctly,” according to one sophomore who has seen the account, Joaquin Ruiz. It has 117 posts describing how people should wear their mask correctly. Ruiz added, “I think doing this in a communal way will help people wear their mask right.” The “mchs_mouthbreathers” account bio says “for mfs that can’t wear a mask right” followed by “send in pics.” There are several pictures of teachers not wearing their masks correctly. One of the posts was of a long term substitute (covering for math teacher Brittney Geddes who is out on leave) not wearing her mask correctly. 

“We’re using the resources that are available to us to investigate and we want to catch who's doing it and hold them accountable,” said Assistant Principal Albert Ettedgui. He continued, “It's a form of harassment; it's an ed code violation. It’s also disrespectful.” 

Principal Monique Luke commented on the posts saying, “I am disappointed and saddened that our students will take a picture of one of our teachers, post it several times, and share it with others.” She added, “I think this goes against the second attribute of our graduate profile, ‘Universal Citizen.’ And if you're a universal citizen, you're going to demonstrate accountability, integrity and honesty.”

“I just think it’s terrible that they feel the need to express negative thoughts like that,” said PE teacher Bob Harbaugh. “If there’s things that are on there that are illegal behaviors, the school should take care of this.” He stated that students making accounts like this was “very disappointing.” English teacher Jordan Henry said, “I find some of them to be silly and in good fun, and I find others to be almost an invasion of privacy and some are even hate posts, so that's definitely not something that I agree with.” Henry added, “I understand that especially this generation is pretty consistently on social media, but I don't know if this is the best way to use our time and energy especially on campus when it's affecting in a negative way other people whether that be students or teachers.” 

PE teacher Jay Higgins said, “For someone to be posting photos of other people, real or photoshopped, is certainly crossing the line of individual privacy. And for what reason? Just to get the imaginary validation of a few 'likes' and comments? Utterly pathetic. Get a life.” 

History teacher Rachel Gunter said to the account owners, “Stop. it's not funny, it hurts people.”