As the weekend dawned, teacher Alex Peterson looked forward to indulging in activities that brought her joy, a luxury often sidelined during hectic workdays. Little did she anticipate that this weekend would deviate from the norm.
The unexpected twist came in the form of an email from the school’s assistant principal, detailing an unusual predicament: a wild animal had breached the school’s confines, seemingly determined to make itself at home. Residing in Colorado, where encounters with wildlife were not uncommon, Alex initially presumed the situation would be swiftly resolved.
However, reality soon proved otherwise, presenting Alex with an unexpected challenge.
Later that day, Alex received word that a mischievous raccoon was wreaking havoc within the school premises, prompting the need for its capture before classes resumed on Monday. Initially, on Saturday, Alex remained optimistic, trusting that the school staff would swiftly resolve the wildlife intrusion.
“We needed to stay out of the building until it was caught,” Alex recounted to The Dodo. “I laughed when I got the email but didn’t think much of it because we are located in Colorado right by the foothills — wildlife is an everyday thing.”
As she enjoyed her Saturday, the looming raccoon predicament lingered in the back of her mind, though she remained confident that the situation would be resolved by Monday. However, come Sunday, Alex was in for a surprise as the complexity of the situation became apparent, far exceeding her initial expectations.
“On Sunday, we got a second email saying that raccoons are harder to catch than initially suspected, so the building was closed for the entire weekend,” Alex recalled.
Later that evening, another unexpected email arrived, informing Alex that the raccoon was still at large, resulting in the cancellation of classes for Monday.
Despite their adorable appearance, raccoons pose a significant danger when cornered, as they can transmit the rabies virus through bites.
The surreal nature of the situation left Alex incredulous. While she had experienced school closures due to snow days before, the idea of a “Raccoon Day” off was entirely novel.
“I was cracking up,” Alex shared. “I texted everyone I thought would be amused by this news and told them that school was canceled tomorrow for a ‘Raccoon Day!’ I also instantly texted one of my coworkers to see if she wanted to go hiking because we had an unexpected day off, and then another coworker to see if she wanted to go have coffee.”
With an unexpected day off, Alex was determined to make the most of it, whether it meant exploring the outdoors or enjoying a leisurely coffee break with friends.
As Alex and her colleagues relished their unexpected day off, one can only imagine the delight of the students upon hearing the news.
However, the unfortunate one that day was a small raccoon, which the staff eventually managed to apprehend and remove.
“Monday morning, around 9 a.m., we received the text that she had been caught — along with a cute picture of her in the trap,” Alex recounted. “The classroom where she was finally captured had some curriculum materials nibbled on.”
With the raccoon safely captured, the three-day saga came to an end. Ultimately, everyone emerged content — the raccoon was released back into the wilderness, and the teachers and students enjoyed what might have been the best Monday ever.