Squirrels of Harker
October 11, 2016
Boldly darting across campus, a squirrel nimbly weaves through a maze of students in an attempt to reach the delicious half-eaten pizza crust lying on the ground. Stuffing as much as it can into its mouth, the squirrel scampers away into the bushes to enjoy its meal in private.
From dawn to dusk, these furry creatures roam freely across the school grounds either foraging for food or exploring their environment, paying no attention to the human traffic around them.
“They’re fearless,” Selin Sayiner (11) said. “They’ll go for anything; they’ll come up to people and not be scared.”
Though squirrels come across as harmless animals residing on the campus, they can often cause trouble for students and faculty. Squirrels not only run into school buildings and invade students’ backpacks but also like to explore Manzanita Hall, which can be a problem for the kitchen staff.
“They’ll usually try to come in through the front doors there, but the maintenance guys deal with them,” Executive Director of Food Services Callie Stanley said.
Squirrels also scavenge trash cans around campus for leftover food that students dispose of throughout the day or sit attentively near students during lunch time, waiting for scraps of food to fall from the table. Many times their sudden commotion frightens students.
“I think that sometimes they’re kind of creepy because they just pop out of nowhere,” Shania Wang (10) said. “You’ll be sitting down, and they just run out of the bush at you.”
The squirrels’ health also remains a concern. Although they are not picky eaters, the human food available to them on campus is not nutritious.
“It’s not good for them to be living in an environment where they might consume something like pizza or pasta sauce that has too much oil and could be harmful to their bodies, so it’s better for the squirrels if they eat more food that’s meant for squirrels,” Emily Chen (11) said.
With winter quickly approaching, squirrels are bound to stay indoors longer to avoid the cold weather outside.
Some students don’t mind the squirrels’ presence on campus.
“I know they get inside the buildings, but there’s nothing wrong with the squirrels,” Davis Dunaway (12) said.
Other students believe that the squirrels’ intrusions are disruptive.
“Squirrels are vile creatures that wreak havoc at school. They ruin my day and they follow me everywhere. I really don’t like them,” Raveena Panja (11) said. “One time a squirrel followed me in the bathroom, and another time it chewed my backpack.”
Whether students and faculty see squirrels as cute animals quietly roaming the campus or vicious scavengers attacking helpless passersby, they will inevitably be a part of our community.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on October 11, 2016.