A hungry mouse runs out of a school closet to grab a bite to eat
It’s a usual day at Churchland High School, juniors are completing their writing SOL and Mr. Bolduc’s class relocates to a different room. Students are quietly working until they are disrupted by the sound of a tiny rodent scratching around in the closet. Could it be? Yes, it is. ANOTHER mouse.
Recently, a lot of students have been spotting mice in classrooms and in hallways at CHS.
I’ve seen mice in ¾ of my classes so far, and I’m a freshman; a huge field mouse in Mrs. Roesser’s greenhouse, a mouse eating Cheetos in Mr. Bolduc’s, and a mouse falling out of the ceiling in Mrs. Cozart’s class.
Some students believe the mice should be caught and released, and others believe that the mice should be exterminated. Either way, the school could have a serious health problem if the mice continue running around.
“It just makes the entire school look dirty and disgusting,” said mouse hater Elijah Macklin. “Kill ‘em all. Kill them. Destroy them. They should be dead all on the floor.”
“Kill them,” echoed sophomore Tranaisha Holliman.
Other students, however, want to see a more humane method utilized.
“I have problems with the way they [the custodians] try to get the mice out of the building, with the sticky pads or mouse traps. I feel like they could use something different than torture for the animals,” says wildlife enthusiast Aniyah Smith.
Instead of killing the mice immediately, the sticky pads trap mice for hours on end until they eventually die.
“I think they could invest in extermination, not necessarily killing the mice, but at least getting the school sprayed one weekend for like mice repellent or something, and we could just do repairs to the cracks and holes and just put seals on doors so that the mice don't get in through the outside either,” said junior Dakota Clemente.
Repairing the school and repelling the mice are just a few of the possible ways we can stop this problem. Traps and bait are also options for consideration.
The mice aren’t going to kill anyone, but they can disrupt classes.
“I mean no mouse is gonna kill me or nothing but I feel safe enough, I mean I can run,” said Holliman.
Another issue is the possible health risks to students.
“We should get rid of all the mice. What if they are carrying diseases and then one of our students gets bit by one,” said Macklin.
We can do something to stop this mouse problem, too. “I think as students we can learn to clean up after ourselves because mice are attracted to the smell of sweet foods,” said Aniyah Smith.
Video: Evan Smith