Rat Roundup

After special treatment due to the plethora of rats, principal Scot Finch has not heard any further complaints. Treatment was conducted over the long weekend of April 22-24.

“Well [rats] come and go in the building, they have since I’ve been here so at least for six years,” principal Scot Finch said. “It’s not uncommon for critters to get into the building. It’s been about a month ago we realized they were pretty active. Normally they’ll be in the drop down ceiling but we’ve seen evidence in the hallways and classrooms. Students were sending me pictures of the rat droppings in the hallways and the stairs, and that’s not typical.”

In the past, rats were treated with a trap that rats can enter and not exit. With an increase in rats, a different kind of trap was necessary – one that exterminates them.

“I have not had any complaints over the rats since last weekend.” Finch said.

On April 13, a rat entered English teacher Kimberly Nickerson’s 2nd period class. The class evacuated after the rat entered the classroom.

“When the rat ran into the classroom I heard loud gasps and a few screams, but the whole situation just kind of sped through time,” sophomore Ambika Kapil said. “{It} was surreal because I had never expected a rat to run into the room and cause so much commotion on a day that felt so slow already. It still is hard to believe.”

According to the Top 10 Club, rats are in the top 10 of the most hated animals.

“They are rodents,” Finch said. “They are perceived as dirty and and gross and scary and carriers of the Bubonic plague. The other problem with rats is that they reproduce very quickly, so we need to get ahead of the game. Rats are just following their instincts. It’s not uncommon for schools to have rats just because there’s food. You just have to treat them. We wanted to get on it pretty quickly, so that’s why we did what we did.”

The cafeteria has increased their protection of food, with sealed containers and walk-in freezers.

“Anytime you have a rat infestation, that’s the first place you’re going to go to treat, is the cafeteria, because that’s where most of the food is,” Finch said.

Despite rumors of the rats being in the school due to block lunch, Finch does not solely blame the new eating arrangement.

“{It’s} possibly due to block lunch, but I don’t know that for sure,” Finch said. “Some things I suspect are causing the increased rats is the building of the neighborhood across the railroad tracks, because you’re displacing them from their home so they have to go somewhere. It’s possible that food in the classrooms and in the hallway is attracting them as well. Even before block lunch we had issues.”