A mouse appeared in the high school wing of the Upper School campus a few weeks ago, and this past week, mice have been spotted around the building multiple times.

According to Upper School Facilities Administrator Bill Belke, the main reason for mice appearing in the school is that it is getting cold outside, and that mice want a warmer place to stay. Students eating lunch and bringing food all around the school is another contributor, and a reason that the mice have been found in several different locations in the building.

Senior Naomi Alter was one student affected by the problem. Alter said that during a discussion in her World Literature class, students saw a mouse scurry across the classroom and climb onto a desk.

“I think we were all pretty shocked by it,” Alter said. “You don’t expect to see a mouse just at the school. We were also like ‘something needs to be done’ because it’s kind of gotten out of hand.”

At first, the class stood up on their chairs in order to create distance between themselves and the rodent, according to Alter. Then, the teacher called maintenance, who brought in a mouse trap. Since then, mice have, once again, appeared in classrooms and shocked students.

Not everyone had the same reaction as Alter’s class when seeing mice around the school.

“I think mice are cute, so I was delighted,” Assistant Library Media Specialist Mirele Kessous said. “I wanted to adopt it and bring it home to my son as a pet.”

Kessous said that if she caught the mouse, she would bring it home to her son in a little box. Science teacher Nick Miller cautioned against her plan because the mice in the school are likely wild, and she now realizes that it is not a good idea. Despite thinking that the mice are adorable, Kessous says the the Media Center is working with administration to crack down on the issue.

Belke has been in contact the the school exterminator, which has advised them to take the steps they are currently taking. According to Belke, 20-30 traps have been placed around the school and have collectively caught five or six mice. Additionally, there are several bait traps around the school to stop mice from entering the building.

“One other thing that can help is if students pick up more after themselves as they are eating in the hallways,” Belke said. “[Students can] keep the food off of the floor … because having the food around is what [the mice] come in looking for.”