On a typical Saturday morning, teacher Alex Peterson finally welcomed the weekend, eager to indulge in activities she often missed during her hectic work week. However, little did she know, this weekend would stretch longer than expected. The first hint came from an email that day, sent by her school’s assistant principal, indicating a wild animal had fallen through a ceiling tile and had no plans of leaving. Living in Colorado, where encounters with wildlife are common, Alex assumed it would be resolved quickly, but a surprise awaited.
An Unexpected “Guest”
A short while later, Alex learned that a raccoon was on the loose in the school, and it needed to be caught by Monday for classes to resume. Believing in the efficiency of school personnel, she felt confident the situation would be remedied by then.
“We needed to stay out of the building until it was caught,” Alex recounted to The Dodo. “I definitely laughed when I got the email but didn’t think much of it since we are located in Colorado right by the foothills — wildlife is an everyday thing.”
Alex enjoyed her Saturday, choosing to push the incident from her mind, believing she would return to work come Monday. However, Sunday brought a twist when she learned the raccoon was proving more elusive than assumed, leading to the entire weekend’s school closure.
“On Sunday, we got a second email stating that raccoons are harder to catch than initially thought, meaning the building would be closed for the entire weekend,” Alex shared.
That evening, she received an unexpected email: they had failed to capture the raccoon, resulting in class cancellations for Monday.
Raccoons, while often cute, are potentially dangerous when cornered; they can carry the rabies virus if they bite. Therefore, it’s always wise to implement strategies to deter raccoons from public areas, including schools and homes.
Yet, this entire scenario felt surreal for Alex. The school had previously closed for snow days, but experiencing a raccoon day was completely unexpected.
“I couldn’t help but laugh,” Alex recalled. “I texted friends who would find this amusing, announcing that school was closed for a ‘Raccoon Day!’ I also quickly reached out to a coworker about hiking and another about grabbing coffee, seeing the silver lining in our unexpected day off.”
The surprise day off was a chance to make the most of it!
Finally “Arrested”
While Alex and her colleagues enjoyed their impromptu day off, students shared in their delight. Conversely, the raccoon was the only one facing an unfortunate fate as the school staff finally managed to “bring it to justice.”
“Monday morning, we received a text around 9 a.m. stating she had been caught — attached was a cute picture of her in the trap,” Alex shared. “The classroom she was finally captured in had curriculum materials nibbled on.”
Thus, this three-day saga concluded. In the end, everyone found satisfaction: the raccoon was safely returned to the wilderness, and both teachers and students enjoyed the best Monday ever. Animals can bring unexpected joy in ways we can’t always anticipate.
