When I was in pre-Calculus, my friends and I would congregate by the back corner watching families of groundhogs running around; one of my fondest memories. These silly little critters mean no harm and are simply living their lives.
Here at Rockville, the “math groundhogs,” that are sometimes deemed as a distraction to the focused classroom environment, actually give stressed-out students a laugh during their difficult and jampacked day.
These furry fellas, who make their home in the tunnels located under the baseball fields and grassy patches next to classrooms windows, have an entire calendared holiday to celebrate not only their cuteness, but their free spirit.
Throughout my time at RHS, I have heard rumors of exterminating the groundhogs for numerous reasons, including pest control purposes, as well as for a way to limit distractions from education.
I believe the groundhogs adds natural element of the real world to the environment inside the cinder-block walls that make up RHS. It’s nice to look to my left during math and see them scurrying around, they aren’t causing any real harm anyways.
Building Service Worker Larry Bellamy said, “I know the school would have to call Animal Services [if they tried to exterminate the groundhogs] and they would have to come over and take care of it.”
This overdramatic process would threaten the lives of the harmless animals that take refuge at our school. It would also be an unnecessary measure to take.
This potential removal and separation of groundhog families would not only be treacherous to them, but to the students of RHS who enjoy seeing them everyday.
Senior Ambre Flowers is an IB student and is very focused on her studies. However, while in her math classes, she says it is always a delight to see the groundhogs outside.
“When I look out the window in Mr. Bradley’s math class, it makes me so happy [to see the groundhogs],” Flowers said. “[Seeing the hogs] reminds me that I can get through math class, because those groundhogs can get through the cold snow.”
These additional motivational aspects that the groundhogs add to a students’ experience are so unique to RHS, and are not something to take for granted.
The next time you see one of the “math groundhogs”, take a minute to appreciate their playful qualities and the simplicity of their lives.