Staff and students debate a hygienically concerning event
Kaveri Dole and Arshiaa Prem
STAFF WRITERS
“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is an animated movie we all love, with various foods falling from the sky in a blissful buffet. Obviously, this is everyone’s dream, but how would you feel if the meatballs were a little less appetizing and a little more hairy?
Health teacher Betsey Desfosse’s freshman class was horrified when they saw dead mice on their floor, just inches from students. It was around 8:30 a.m. on an early October morning, and the students were still groggy and tired. Was it fake? Was it perhaps a meticulously placed practical joke? That is what prevented the class from “screaming bloody murder,” Desfosse said. That is, until ten minutes later when two students approached Desfosse asking about the creatures.
“I was a lunatic, I was screaming,” Desfosse said while recalling the incident. “I fell short in the bravery department that day.”
However, Desfosse was not the only teacher who encountered these pests. Science teacher Jennifer Rodier also had similar experiences. Rodier valiantly threw away not one, not two, but three dead mice, all from Desfosse’s classroom, earning the title of Mrs. Desfosse’s knight in shining armor after running into the room after hearing her screams. Finally, Desfosse exclaimed, “That’s it, I can’t do this anymore!” and ran out the door.
“I get there are mice in the building and it’s starting to get cold and we eat snacks all over the place,” Desfosse said. She was very logical after the fact, confirming, “This has never happened before but it’s not shocking.”
Her theory is that a mouse likely gave birth, producing more offspring. However, she recalled a similar incident from about fifteen years ago, when a mouse fell out of a hole in the ceiling tiles and landed in a student’s backpack.
Freshman Ishwa Dharan, who was present in the health class where the mice reappeared, reflected on the experience. It was a total shock to her, so much so that it didn’t seem real. In fact, at first, she thought it was fake. “I started laughing because I didn’t know what to do,” she recalled.
Her reaction highlighted another issue; students at Andover High School are unprepared for such situations and unaware of the health concerns associated with these pests. Without the proper knowledge of what to do in these situations, students are at risk of mishandling the animals in an attempt to kill or dispose of them, potentially contracting a disease.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out the dangers of physical contact with vermin, which can be a threat to our students. “Contact with rodent droppings, urine, and saliva can spread by breathing in air or eating food contaminated with rodent waste.” The CDC added that infestations of rodents through buildings are the main cause of disease spreading from rodents to people. In addition, many diseases carried in mice don’t show apparent symptoms, meaning there is no visual difference between an infected and a healthy mouse. These diseases range from bacterial, viral, and even parasitic and can be transmitted directly or indirectly.
So what can we do to reduce the spread of these diseases? Candice McVeigh, a health teacher at AHS, advised community members “to start being mindful of the food we bring into classrooms and how we clean up after ourselves.” However, in her opinion, the mice aren’t a real issue unless the problem worsens. “All buildings this size have mice,” she says. The real concern is not eradicating the rodents, but instead keeping them under control. This mirrors Desfosse’s thoughts as well: “I don’t know how in a building this size with this many people and so much food that you wouldn’t have mice.”
As for measures taken to combat this problem, Desfosse stated that rat traps have been set. However, they remained empty after a few weeks.
These rodents are indeed becoming pests for our students and staff. They bring hygienic concerns and, in general, cause chaos and disarray. Mice or meatballs, you wouldn’t want either in your classroom, would you?
