LOLITA HARPER
Vermin. Rodents. Rats. Cockroaches.
Not exactly an attractive subject but, nonetheless, one that
Newport-Mesa Unified School District administrators are faced with at
Corona del Mar High School.
Go figure. Corona del Mar is one of the most charming villages in
one of the most beautiful and wealthiest cities in the country, but
all that exclusivity does not exempt its school from nasty little
four-legged pests.
I went down to the school Thursday morning to get a look at these
loathsome creatures. I asked to hang out in the special education
classroom, where the majority of the rats had been spotted, hoping to
catch a glimpse of one of the, um, cageless class pets. What I got
instead was a guided tour of the room from middle school prinicipal
Brooke Booth.
"We can't let you sit in on a class," she said. "That requires
special permission from the district and three-day notice."
All right, I'll take what I can get. I did a quick mental rundown
of what I had in my purse. The last thing I wanted was to attract a
friendly rodent.
Thankfully, those "Handi Snacks" crackers and cheese deals --
which I like to keep around in case my son needs something to munch
on -- were gone.
I braced myself and walked across the aging campus -- built
sometime in the 1960s -- to Ms. Suzy Thatcher's room. (also known as
Ms. T.) I don't know what I expected, but what I saw was one of the
most nicely decorated and inviting classrooms.
The entrance to the room houses a vegetable garden, with
strawberries and tomatoes, and a koi pond. There used to be bird
feeders, but they were determined to be one of the things that
attracted some of the vermin, so they are now gone, Booth said.
The bird feeders, garden and pond are all part of learning life
skills, which is an essential and fun part of the special education
curriculum, Booth said. She then took me inside to show me the steel
plates, just put in place, to stop the rats from burrowing in from
the roof.
Something about foam rubber and steel wool and being very
proactive about the problem. I know she was sincere, but she also had
that public relations tone in her voice -- she had to put on a good
front to the media. I listened to her explanations of things but was
more interested in the room.
Thanksgiving decorations were up, as well as bright and colorful
letters, posters and samples of the children's work. To my untrained
eye, it looked like a fun place to learn.
Then the kids came in from their modified physical education
