The week right before Halloween in Mrs. Norton’s AP 3D art class, two students– Nick Pearson and Carter Coggshall– were at the back working on their projects. Pearson stated that he saw an object outside in the corner of his eye, and believed it was a racoon. Out of curiosity, he and Coggshall headed out to investigate. Upon exiting the room to the outside area of the ceramics class, they realized the animal had headed over to a box on top of one of the shelves. Coggshall climbed on top of a stool and took a peek. Instead of a raccoon though– they spotted a pair of ears and whiskers.
The cat, in fear, bolted out of the room without warning. Both students returned to the room, eager to announce their findings with the class. As half of the class moved outside to check, Karla Polanco decided to take a look of her own. As she stood on top of the stool and peered into the box she found five kittens.
The room was shocked. Between whispers, screams, and excited giggles, they brainstormed on what to do with the kittens. The box was dirty, and broken at the corners, so taking it down would be hard. With the collaboration of several students, they managed to bring the box down carefully so as to not bother or hurt the kittens. They placed them on the ground and all looked in to check on them. The kittens were all different colors, some in different variations of white and black, one grey, and one fully black. Everyone was enamoured, and wanted to pet them. But one of the students– Nicole Ojeda– warned against it.
“The kittens couldn’t be more than a couple weeks old, even though their eyes are open, they’re too young for us to pet them and for them to be safe. It would be best if we left them,” stated Ojeda. Everyone agreed—it was best to not do any harm to the kittens.
Now comes the issue of figuring out what to do with them. The class brought the box in carefully and huddled together to think. The kittens were so young that they needed to be fed every hour and a half. Also, since the mother had run away in fear, students did not know when she was coming back. Some wanted to move the kittens because the box was dirty, but others were concerned that the mom might not recognize the smell if they moved them. The consensus was to call the agriculture teacher, Ms. Mitchell.
Ms. Mitchell was shocked, but reacted quickly. She stated that the best bet for the kittens was to leave them outside in hopes that the mother would come back. If she did not return within two hours, then other measures had to be taken. So the wait began.
The class returned the next day– eager to hear about the kittens.
The mother ended up coming back, but not without a surprise– she had taken four of the kittens. The class was slightly disappointed that the kittens were not present anymore but content that they were safe. The issue remaining was what to do with the last kitten. Someone had to make themselves responsible for it, and as much as everyone wanted to, not everyone could. But one student stepped up.
Nicole Ojeda, the same student that guided the class through what to do with the kitten, offered to take it home.
The kitten currently resides at her home, and is being fed until their belly is full and their heart content. Nicole and her family absolutely adore the kitten, who is now safe and sound in the comfort of a true home. Although the kitten does not belong to the school. It has become an honorary Olympia Titan.
This accident did not only result in the kitten getting a new home, but also in a whole class uniting over a shared goal. This story, although it began with chaos and confusion, is one of empathy, kindness, and care— all values that our Titans proudly represent. We hope that the kitten adjusts well to its newfound home and that we keep hearing wonderful stories about perseverance and compassion from all around our campus.
