At the start of 6th period on Oct. 15, three wasps entered Emmery Llewellyn’s classroom while her class of English 1 students were doing a warm-up journaling session.
The students watched while the wasps flew into the oven door and windows.
“Ms. Llewellyn handled the situation very well and stayed calm. She did seem slightly stressed, but only because she feared for the safety of her students,” first-year Madelyn Azalde said
According to Amy Kudenov, the co-teacher for that class, Llewellyn tried to guide the wasps towards the door and gently fanned papers in their direction. She then turned off the lights to try to help the wasps leave the classroom. Instead, they flew up to the windows above the door. Llewellyn tried standing on a stool to reach them and wave them down from the window, but the stool was not tall enough.
After approximately 10-15 minutes, one of the wasps landed on the trash by the door and she was able to take the can outside.
Kudenov has experienced previous incidents with wasps flying in through the windows and disrupting the class. “When the weather is nice, I enjoy opening the windows and door to let the fresh air in, but the wasps make it challenging to keep everyone feeling safe and focused when they get into the classroom,” Kudenov said.
According to the associate principals, the number of wasps on campus has grown this year. They have entered classrooms and surrounded lunch tables. “I would say that this year is the worst of my four years at Miramonte,” Associate Principal Daniel Caravalo said. While the reason for this is unknown, it has been brought to administration’s attention, and they have requested facilities to add more traps.
Associate Principal Jami Greer says that maintaining a cleaner campus can help this issue. “We need students to throw trash away. Wasps are attracted to food. We are making sure the garbage cans are cleared regularly, but when students leave food on tables after brunch and lunch, the wasps have an endless supply of food. Eliminating the wasps are another reason everyone must clean up!” Greer said.
According to Cleveland Clinic, symptoms for a wasp sting can range from redness and swelling. If someone is experiencing severe symptoms such as nausea or hives, they should contact a medical professional.