Rodents have been spotted in classrooms and buildings across the MVHS campus, with incidents reported as far back as the school’s establishment in 1969. This issue continues to remain prominent today in older facilities, such as the A and B buildings, where students’ habits of leaving food and drinks around exacerbates this problem, according to facilities manager Lance Quezada.
Quezada says this is a problem evident among the science classrooms and sections of the A and B buildings, rather than an infestation. The facilities team is currently working with MVHS staff to enforce clear rules about food in classrooms and, if necessary, will work with Genesis Pest Control — a local pest control service — to exterminate the rodents.
“Internally, we are cleaning the space, removing any kind of food from the space,” Quezada said. “And mitigating that through IPM, integrated pest management, and having those communications with the students, and then we’ll do a small bit of trapping as well.”
Sophomore Shreekrithi Darla describes her recent encounter with a rodent during her sixth period, near a bench, and says the presence of rats in classrooms and halls has also impacted the focus of her classmates, because of the disruption caused in her class. Darla vividly recalls her English teacher, Mr. Holiday, advising against eating in classrooms, a message reinforced by the teachers’ efforts to maintain cleanliness by prohibiting open food in classrooms.
“I think it really affects the students’ learning,” Darla said. “Because this environment in school is like a second home to many students, and if it is not clean, it can cause a problem for our health, and really impacts our student body.”
According to Quezada, by targeting the root causes, open food and water sources, the facilities team aims to reduce the rat population, and work on improving long-term solutions. For Quezada, spreading student awareness is essential for the reduction of the rodent population.
“The first thing we do normally is communication, which would be educating teachers and students about food in the classroom,” Quezada said. “Minimizing food would remove the attractant from the space, which is called integrated pest management.”
After a student reported a rodent sighting last March in science teacher and curriculum lead Kavita Guptas’ classroom, the teacher implemented new classroom protocols prohibiting her students from eating food and leaving open water in her classroom as preventive measures, in the hopes of reducing rat sightings in her classroom.
“Rats can get in through very small spaces, and when it gets cold outside, they’re looking for warm areas,” Gupta said. “They come into classrooms, and then they see food and think, ‘Oh my God, even better—now we get warm and we get food’. It’s a big concern, but everyone’s working hard and together to solve this pest problem.”
Quezada says it is essential for students to assume more responsibility, and emphasizes the importance of educating the school community to show how everyone has a role in maintaining a clean school campus for students and staff.
“It’s difficult just to get most students that throw their trash into the receptacles, so just try to communicate and remove the food from the space when they are done,” Quezada said. “It’s having those consistent kinds of actions happening from our students. So it starts with the students.”